Visions - Blood Memories
by Loved4TheFlaws
Summary: This is my own personal story, so please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_**Visions**_

 _Prologue-_

 _The screams of terror filled the air of the Hunter village of Hanta as the rampaging vampiress sought out first blood amongst the many unsuspecting villagers fleeing for their lives. A young boy hides in the shadows from the creature and whimpers when the glow of her bloodthirsty gaze lands upon him. A manic smile reveals the newly gained fangs of her birth as she grins at him._

 _"Sweet, boy. Sweet, child. Won't you come to momma and allow her to embrace you?"_

 _Tears cascade down the youth's face as he shakes his head vigorously in deny as she extends a hand with one finger curling in a come hither gesture. His refusal rips a menacing growl from her parched throat and a hungry rumble echos at her waist._

 _"Come here!"_

 _The boy cringes and screams his deny this time:_

 _"NO!"_

 _The deranged monster screeches her frustration and immediately launches herself at the child only to be kicked back by a large booted foot._

 _"Get back you fiend! I'll not have our son's blood be your first meal, beast!"_

 _A slow transformation comes over the female's features at the sight of the man, who the young boy closely resembles, and sensual grace takes the place of her feral stance of before as she carefully regains her feet._

 _"Dear...Please...I'm so thirsty. My throat is so parched. Please...Won't you help me quench this incessant need?"_

 _A sadness overshadows the man's fierce expression and like the boy tears cut rivulets down his face._

 _"Come then, love. Slack your thirst."_

 _A gleeful squeal oozes from her as she rushes forward to embrace the man and as her teeth finally find a sheathe within the man's throat the blade of his blessed dagger sinks deep into her heart. She chokes on that first swallow, gurgling on her own blood even as she suffocates on the man's, and makes no more sounds as her body crumbles to the dirt in death. Two screams of painful anguish tear through the night as both man and boy cry out for their lost love one..._

 _Chapter 1-_

 _Takara, adoptive daughter of Protector Chie, awakens to the glow of morning in a cold sweat and panting as the agony of the dream runs its course through her anemic body. Takara's adoptive mother calls her body, hinketsu no, which means anemic, because all she can eat is raw bloody meat to compensate for her shortage of blood. She was raised and trained to be a Protector just as Chie did before her._

 _Shaking, she slides her long legs over the edge of her cot and uses the collar of her shirt to wipe the salty droplets from her brow. Then looks to the left out the window of the hut she shares with Chie to observe the village awakening to the day._

 _Hogo, the Village of Vampire Protectors, is home to the descendants of the extended family of the defected Ancestral Leader of the Vampire Hunters. They were made up of his few supporters and a few groups of rescued humans. Together they formed the village of Hogo and named themselves, the Protectors. Protectors are a race of super humans like their Vampire Hunter counterparts and their sole purpose is to protect the vampire race. Their protection includes the descendants of the Ancient Queen Mother and her mate the Ancestral Leader, but they will protect other vampires on two conditions, they have to exchange their blood for protection as a form of truce and they cannot bite a Protector for food._

 _Today, Takara, has awakened to the day of her first official visit to the village Elders with their elected Leaders and acquire her first mission as a full-fledged Protector. Chie will be taking her there to receive her first Mark. A Mark is a word used synonymously between the Hunters and the Protectors to describe a being as a target or goal. For the Hunters they are a target and for the Protectors they are a goal they desire to achieve._

 _There are the rare few Protectors chosen to go to Kodai, the Ancient Lands of Eternal Rest, to escort and protect an Ancient coming across the waters to visit the mainland. These Ancients range from centuries old Vampires to other equally powerful being such as; Kitsune, Greater Demons, Human descendants of Dragons, and many more. These Ancients are most often seen with a Hitodama, which are ghost spirits that appears as a floating ball of fire that hovers over the recently deceased. The Hitodama appear two or three days after a death or when a child is about to be born and they are blue, orange, or red with short or long tails of flame._

 _Takara strips down naked, then walks over to the washbasin to grab up a clean rag to wash the grime of the night from her skin and takes up a boars-hair brush to smooth out the knotted mess of her hair from her nightmarish sleep. She pulls on some fresh clothing with her weapon slings going on first and sheathed with multiple kaiken daggers. Afterwards, she pads barefoot into the living area to dig up a blood drenched breakfast from the cold storage box. She savors every bite with great relish before cleansing her hands of the red stain of her meal and exiting the hut. She slowly scans the area, taking in the village one last time before she is sent on her destined mission._

 _The village of Hogo has a large main house built of sandalwood, where the Leaders and the Elders of the village live. There are a dozen smaller dwellings that extend like arms from the main house, where the families of the Protectors and Protectors-in-training live. These buildings viewed from above form a vague house-like shape surrounded by an open field of thick green grass, wild flowers, and a scattering of sapling trees._

 _Satisfied that she has memorized every inch of her beloved home, Takara seeks out Chie, who she can always find in the open field training new recruits. She strolls up to the fencing cordoning off the training area and observes Chie teaching a broad-swordsmen the ropes._

 _Each Protector is trained with all forms of weaponry, but are usually equipped with the weapon they are the most proficient handling in combat. Takara's weapon of choice is the kaiken, small daggers, using them with the ease of a shuriken and finds them the most useful when caught in a tight spot._

 _The big bruiser is quite good at wielding his chosen weapon and decapitates the training dummy with ease after a few demonstrations from Chie with her own tachi sword. Takara remembers being instructed by Chie about the tachi as being a curve bladed predecessor to the katana. Chie quietly praises the guy and he foolish tries to show off for her. He thrusts his blade toward the dummies stomach only to miss and jam it into the side of the post the dummy hangs from. Takara snorts loudly at his mistake and gets nailed with a sharp glare from the giant._

 _"What!? You think you can do better!?"_

 _Grinning, Takara silently withdraws a single kaiken and gestures for him to move kaiken is usually only carried for close quarters fighting accompanied with a sword wielder, which makes Takara's talents with the small weapons rather intimidating. He spots the weapon and bursts into laughter._

 _"What is that!? A kaiken!? What can you do with that wee weapon from that distance, girl!?"_

 _Takara takes in the five yards of space between herself and the dummy with a shrug. Then flips the weapon up by the handle, catches it by the tip of the blade on the down spin, and launches it at the dummy, where it sinks deep into the groin area. Bruiser takes this in, winces, and clutches himself in imagined empathy for the inanimate dummy._

 _Chie shakes her head, signals a dismissal to the trainees, and moves to the fences to meet with Takara._

 _"You ready, child?"_

 _"As I ever could be."_

 _"Good. Lets go then."_

 _They leave the training fields, march up the main path, and climb the stairs up to the main house. The two women enter the main house into a long main hallway with double doors set at the center of the corridor before them. They move forward through these sliding doors and into a large room, where five men sit upon a raised platform on soft pillowed cushions in a semi-meditative position. There are two men in the middle of the group who are old and wizened. These are the Elders, while the other three younger men are the Leaders. They are all sporting the Protector's clan colors of red tops, brown bottoms, and some form of green adornment like a bandanna, a ring with an emerald stone, or color-stained hair._

 _Chie steps forward to speak with the Elders, while Takara glances around at the Chamber of the Fallen. The wooden walls are covered from floor to ceiling with the mounted weapons of the Fallen Protectors from large broadswords to small star-shaped shuriken. She turns away from the wall of weapons at the soft click of Chie's teeth to bring her attention back to the front of the room. She smiles at her sixty year old adoptive mother and is mindful not to note how Chie clutches at the hilt of her tachi sword for balance. The Protector keeps the sword strapped to her waist and sheathed in a wooden scabbard._

 _Chie has amber-eyes with curly shoulder length green-streaked brown hair and her wrinkled skin still shows signs of her sun-bronzed coloring from long days under the hot sun. She has an angular face with a narrow shapeless nose, a slightly rounded chin, and a slim muscular frame with small feminine curves. She is wearing a dark blood red long-sleeves shirt, dark brown form-fitting pants, and brown sandals._

 _Takara still has moments where she wonders how such a strong and very wise woman came about being the one to raise her all by herself. She only knows that she loves the old girl very dearly._

 _Takara's attention returns to the task at hand when the Elder on her left, with his steely gray eyes locked on her, calls her forward for evaluation before allowing her to acquire her first mission as a Protector of Vampires._

 _"Age?"_

 _"Twenty-five."_

 _"Years of combatant training?"_

 _"From the time I could walk, sir."_

 _"Weapon preference?"_

 _"The Kaiken."_

 _"KAIKEN?!"_

 _All five men turn to each other to whisper amongst themselves, then the questioning Elder points a gnarled finger at Chie with a look of disgust on his leathery features._

 _"Why is this girl's weapon proficiency only the kaiken, old woman?!"_

 _"It is her weapon. You doubt her abilities with just such a small dagger to fight for her, then you underestimate her skill and insult us both with your, disbelieve, Elder."_

 _"One simply cannot fight effectively with a mere kaiken as ones only weapon!"_

 _"You seek proof then? Takara?"_

 _"Yes, Mistress Protector?"_

 _"Defend."_

 _Chie moves just out of the way and without blinking an eye watches Takara, in one smooth motion, unsheathe a kaiken from her right thigh and underhand throw the small dagger through the air at the seated men. She knows Takara is adapt at throwing the kaiken with deadly accuracy, while utilizing an underhanded throw to reach a target a lengthy distance away from her. Four more follow in rapid succession as the first rips the far left Leader's bandanna off of his head to be pinioned to the wall behind him._

 _The second blade slides smoothly into the seam of the next Leader's shirt at the shoulder without nicking him._

 _The third embeds itself by the tip into the sole of the far right Leader's boot._

 _The fourth stands firmly between the gray-eyed Elder's legs after piercing the cushion he sits upon._

 _The fifth and final kaiken stands at attention in the wood floor beside the second Elder's thigh._

 _The second Elder pulls the kaiken loose of the floor board and raises a surprised brow as he turns to the first Elder in question._

 _Chie smiles smugly to herself at the straight-faced Takara as she stands with her arms folded docilely behind her back and staring the five men down with a cold violet gaze. Chie notes that, while the girl is clearly missing blades from her leather sheathes, there isn't a single sign that she had engaged in a mild display of skill._

 _Takara's long liquid gold blonde hair still hangs straight down her back to her waist and the light brown tone of her skin shows no physical signs of exertion. Her blood red long-sleeves shirt, dark brown form-fitting pants, and green scarf set about her neck is still uniform straight with her customarily bare feet braced shoulder length apart._

 _Takara is unlike the other humans of Hogo in that she has slightly pointed ears, a heart shaped face with a small softly rounded aristocratic nose, and a slender muscular frame with hourglass curves._

 _Chie turns back to the gray-eyed Elder with a uniformly straight face, not wanting to show her pride to the aged warrior, who was caught by surprise by her talented pupil, and awaits his response to Takara's display of skill._

 _"Hrm...Impressive...She will do for this particular protection detail. Show the Mistress Protector the trainee's mission papers and let them be on their way."_

 _The Leader closest to the gray-eyed Elder turns around to face a long low-set black table covered in several rolls of scrolls tied off with a green ribbon and grabs the top scroll off the middle pyramid of papers. He turns back, presents the roll to the second Elder across the lap of the gray-eyed Elder, and the second Elder presents it into Chie's patiently awaiting hands. She opens the roll, inspects the contents, nods in understanding to the five men, then re-ties the roll, and goes to lead Takara out of their presence._

 _When Takara doesn't immediately follow her lead, Chie looks back to see the girl walking right up to the men with her hands outstretched, and realizes that she's merely retrieving her weapons. One by one the men pass her, her blades, and then she sheathes each one with care before bowing to the men, and quickly joining Chie for a quick exit into fresh air._

 _Chie wastes no time in handing the mission papers to Takara and watches her face closely as she discovers that she is one of the rare few who would be Protector of an Ancient Vampire. Takara gapes in shock, then quickly composes herself as she catches Chie eyeing her reaction._

 _"I'm very proud of the impressive display you put on for those men in there, my girl, but I only hope that those very skills won't invariably fail you in actually combat."_

 _"I assure you, Mistress Protector, they will not."_

 _"Then go in peace and good luck, Protector."_

 _"Thank you...Mom."_

 _The two women respectfully bow to each other, then split up to go their separate ways, as mandated by Protector law, one heads home, and the other begins her journey into the unknown._

 _Outside the borders the village of Hogo is a forest called the Oni Mori and within its trees hides a predator. The beast is concealed in shadow and watching hungrily as the distant figure before him draws ever closer. The Protector is unaware of her peril as she walks unconcernedly along the foot trail leading into the demon forest. The gleam of a curved blade glitters faintly in a partial beam of sunlight beaming between two loose branches over his head. The predator lowers himself to a steady crouch upon the bough of the tree branch and prepares to leap upon his unsuspecting prey._

 _Takara draws nearer to the Oni Mori, while browsing over the map that came with the roll of papers mandating her mission to search out the Ancient Vampire who is landing upon the mainland shores in a few days hence and protect the being until they see fit to return to Kodai. She stills momentarily as she catches the slightly wisp of sound as the leaves of the tree branches she stands beneath rustle and slowly rolls the scroll of papers back up to tuck into her waistband, while slyly grasping the little hilt of one her kaiken._

 _That's when the predator strikes, leaping from above her head, and lashing out for a killing blow with his katana. He lands without gaining his clean kill and watches as his prey rolls to her own feet a foot away from him with an excited gleam in her violet eyes._

 _Takara is met by a pair of glaring onyx black eyes as her attacker shifts his stance as she unsheathes a second kaiken with the blades secreted against the underside of her wrists and prepares to charge her with another killing stroke aimed at her exposed throat. She leans backwards and parries his strike with both kaikens before spinning back out of range again._

 _She quickly takes note of his black camouflaged bodysuit with black strips of cloth binding his feet and instantly knows that she is facing a Vampire Hunter._

 _He has short reddish-brown hair and dark sun bronzed skin that seems to seam in with his bodysuit to hide him in darkness. His appearance is that of a strongly masculine face with a nose that looks like the bridge of it has been broken several times, and a large muscular frame with every definition enfolded by his snug suit._

 _She whips her blades up just in time to block his head on charge to impale her upon his sword's blade and slowly, with measured strength, pushes his much longer weapon back at him. He grits his teeth with a growl of frustration as he tries to lever the blade back her way only to have it continue toward himself and she isn't surprised when his onyx eyes narrow in anger at her unusual strength as he strains vainly against her._

 _"What the hell kind of Protector are you?! There's no way you should be this bleeding strong, woman!"_

 _A wicked smile curves up the corner of her full lips and her dark violet gaze glitters at him knowingly as she quickly breaks away from him._

 _This causes him to stumble forward into the space she left behind, and then she spins back-to-back to him and bumps him with her backside to send him falling face first into the dirt._

 _He roars in outrage, slams a menacing fist into the ground before regaining his feet to find her bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and raises his sword back up before they both flow into a rhythm less dance. They exchange blow after blow without either getting the upper hand in the fight before breaking apart again to take a breather to access each other._

 _Takara takes that time to recall everything that Chie taught her about the Hunters, that they garner their incredible strength from the mill they make of deceased vampire bones, and eat it along with their daily bread. The Hunters are superhuman due to this mills constant consumption and aids them in their pursuit to annihilate the entire vampire race by giving them a near immunity to the Turn bite. They share the title of Mark when naming a target and their Marks are always vampires in need of slaying just for living...or not._

 _This is the part that draws her short in her thoughts, Mark, Hunter, Vampire, so why is he hunting me?_

 _"Why are you here, Hunter?"_

 _"All you need to know is that you are my Mark and you will die."_

 _"Not today."_

 _"We'll see."_

 _She ducks his quick slash at her defending wrists and cuts a line across his thigh before bouncing out of range of his sword again._

 _"ARGH! Damn it! Stand still!"_

 _"Oh, sure. Stay in one place so the whiny Hunter can finally make his kill. Yeah right."_

 _"Doesn't hurt to demand a little cooperation."_

 _"Mm..."_

 _He feints for her legs, spins, and catches her in the back of the head with the butt of his hilt. This knocks her forward, but not down, not until he elbows her in the back and she collapses onto her side in agony from his powerful blows._

 _He takes immediate advantage of her prone position and drops into a crouch upon her hips, and then raises his sword over his head with the point directed above her heart. He stops just before following through on the downward thrust when he becomes aware of two of her kaiken aimed for his throat and groin._

 _"I don't know, but maybe you could tell me, tough guy, which of us is likely to die first...You or me?"_

 _"I would just bleed out. I get my blade in your heart and you are dead, princess."_

 _"At least I would get the quick death, but you will suffer slowly to your own demise."_

 _"As long as you die."_

 _"Like I said...Not today."_

 _She thrusts the points of her blades into his armpits, rolls him off of her as he drops his sword harmlessly to the side of them, and jumps to her feet a good distance away from him._

 _"Fucking...Dammit!"_

 _She sheathes her kaiken, snatches up his katana from the ground, while he clutches painfully at his wounded pits, and brandishes the long blade over his head. He growls at her as she grins in triumph at him and is shocked when he manages to forcefully slap the sword from her grasp. Then grasps a fistful of her shirt, lifts her up level with him, and in his fury he shakes her hard enough to rattle her teeth together._

 _"YOU. WILL. DIE!"_

 _She feels him try to readjust his hold to her throat and screams out in denial before throwing herself forward to avoid his grasp, then instinctively sinks her canines into the heavy pulse beating along his throat._

 _When the blood hits her tongue, a burst of cinnamon spice and metallic flavor assails her senses, and rips an animalistic growl of hunger from her. Her hands lock onto his broad shoulders as his hold drops away from her own throat and they both tumble to the ground with her on top of him._

 _She greedily gulps down his delicious life force, barely feeling the harsh blows of his fists as he tries valiantly to get her off of him, or hear his shouts to free him until he suddenly goes still beneath her._

 _Her senses return to her at the eerie silence and she pulls away from him in horror, cries out in shock at what she has done, and tries desperately to wipe her mouth clear of the taste of his blood in her hysteria._

 _Moaning, pitifully, she remains completely still, hovering over his still form upon her knees, and slowly her hysterical thoughts succumbed to instinct once more. She straddles his hips and begins to lick his still bleeding wounds until they seal close. When she sees to her utter dismay, that he still hasn't moved, tears well up in her eyes at the possible realization that she may have killed him._

 _She is weeping in earnest when she is cut off by his sudden groans and grunts of pain before he starts to spasm into full blown convulsions. He hollers out in agony, causing her to groan out in sympathy, not knowing that she had injected the Turn into him, and watches as his body expels the poison with foaming dribbles from the corners of his mouth._

 _He finally manages to force his squeezed shut eyes to open and they immediately train in upon her in utter fury mixed with pain and this sends her into a full blown meltdown bemoaning his suffering._

 _"What have I done?!"_


	2. Chapter 2

**=Chapter 2-Surprises**

 _The Hunter has grown still, but has shown no other signs that he is well since directing his heated glare upon her. Now she kneels by his head with her head bent to the side to feel the moist brush of his breath upon her cheek. Breathing her own breath of gratitude that he is still alive, she sits up and back onto her heels, and waits for him to awaken. She goes over the fight once more in her head and pauses on the moment just before she bites him. She analyzes her thoughts and initial reactions at the time, but still loses her train of thought just as she is going to free herself only to encounter a red haze. After the red haze lifted all her thoughts had returned and she had opened her gaze to the realization that she had somehow poisoned the Hunter. She leans over him once more to check if he is near to awakening and hoping he'll be able to tell her what it is she had done to him. She sees that he is still out, looks at his mouth with the dried foam from whatever reaction he had, had from her bite, and uses the edge of her shirt to wipe his face clean._

 _"Thanks. I wondered if you were going to stay there the whole time or get up and leave."_

 _She gasps and leaps to her feet away from him as he speaks to her with his eyes closed, then he opens them when she suddenly leaves his side._

 _"Hey. Relax. I'm not going to try killing you again, woman."_

 _Her violet eyes meet his steady onyx gaze as he sits up, while holding her attention with his calming words and her hand instinctively goes to one of the hilts of her kaiken._

 _"Chill. You act like you've never seen someone expel the Turn before."_

 _"I haven't."_

 _He looks momentarily shocked by her words, then shakes his head with a chuckle._

 _"Oh, right. Protector...Well, it really is not all that bad...So just what the hell are you_

 _anyway?"_

 _"I don't honestly know. I was born hinketsu no. Anemic...But what I did to you wasn't natural. Why did I do that?"_

 _He gets to his feet, moves off to retrieve his sword, and sheathes it before returning his gaze to her._

 _"I'm not sure. My best guess is that you may be a partially changed vampire birthed from the womb of a near changed mother, who was bitten and exchanged blood with a vampire to start the Turn."_

 _Takara gawks at his far-fetched theory and immediately shakes her head in denial of such a thing._

 _"W-what...? N-No way!"_

 _Unfazed by her outburst, the Hunter rubs a hand over the stubble upon his chin in contemplation._

 _"I'm betting she was trying to be slick and create a reverse VOL by doing the Turn while still carrying you, but ended up going into labor before it could finish. I'm sure someone had to have helped you along for you to still be here and alive like you are."_

 _Takara is momentarily taken aback by the mention of the VOL, Vampires of Light, a race of hybrid vampires, whose royal descendants are direct descendants of the Queen Mother and the Ancestral Leader of the Hunters. Their bite is lethal to the VON, Vampires of Night, because of their ability to walk in the sunlight. They are also capable of reproducing live offspring and can eat raw animal meat unlike their night time cousins. But that couldn't be what she is...Could it?_

 _"I have an adoptive mother who says that she was there when I was born and that my mother died while giving birth to me. Your answer can't be right!"_

 _The Hunter locks gazes with her at the angry tenure of her voice, then shrugs in nonchalance._

 _"She obviously killed your real mother before she could complete the Turn, so she could keep you for herself. It's not unheard of you know."_

 _"NO! Chie wouldn't have ever done something like that! Ever!"_

 _She threateningly unsheathes her kaiken and holds it cleanly to her wrist in preparation to attack him, which causes him to raise his hands up in a placating gesture._

 _"Okay, okay. Calm down. It's just a theory anyway...But you really are part vampire._

 _There's no other way that you could have the ability to inject the Turn into me otherwise."_

 _Still angry, but trying to be reasonable, Takara re-sheathes her blade, and nods her head in agreement._

 _"I know. I'm sorry I bit you. I have never done that before. I can't understand why that happened."_

 _"Self-preservation. It was a natural reaction to the threat of death. Anyway, I think I can find you help on curing you of that Turn problem. You will have to come with me to my village and speak with the Elders there."_

 _Her head whips up with a look of complete confusion eclipsing her beautiful features and the Hunter gives her the slightest smile in return._

 _"Why would a couple of old Hunters want to help cure a semi-vampire? Aren't you Hunters more interested in eliminating all traces of vampires in this country?"_

 _"Pretty much, but you are a special case so you will get some leniency."_

 _"Somehow I don't believe you."_

 _"I wouldn't if I was you, but my village isn't far from here, just through the Oni Mori, and we can be there before nightfall. No one travels through the demon forest at night for obvious reasons."_

 _He turns away and starts walking into the woods without her until she cries out in uncertainty._

 _"But what if they can't help me?!"_

 _He slowly turns back toward her as she rushes to catch up to him beyond the tree line and smiles grimly at her as she reaches him._

 _"I would rather hope that they will be able to help you. It's your choice. You can continue on your mission and have more Hunters after you to find the Ancient Vampire who is coming here. Or come with me and hope that my Elders have a cure for you."_

 _He watches her face as she struggles to decide whether to face off with more Hunters on her journey or see if she can rid herself of the Turn. He grins inwardly when she sighs and knows she has decided to follow him._

 _"Fine, but there had better be a cure. Don't make me regret this choice, Hunter."_

 _"You won't regret it and my name is Isamu. Sense we are going to be traveling through these demon infested woods together you might as well know that much about me."_

 _"I know you're a good fighter, but your right. The name helps. Thank you, Isamu."_

 _"Don't thank me just yet. Wait until we get you that cure, then you can."_

 _"Okay. Let's go then."_

 _She wastes no more time, strolls off down a narrow trail ahead of him, and listens to his light tread as he moves to catch up with her. The last thought to plague her before disappearing into the shadows of the demon forest is that the Hunter may just be leading her into a trap._

 **Oni Mori-Demon Forest**

 _The Oni Mori is a forest that covers most of the mainland and has to be passed through in order to reach any of the four regions of civilization, which are Hogo, Hanta, Yoru, and trees of the demon forest grow so thickly together here that it always appears to be dark, except in those places where there are holes in the vine strewn canopies for the sun or the moon to shine down through. This light illuminates the foot trails between tree trunks that lead through the woods. This forest is a dangerous place full of varying types of demons, mostly Oni demons, which the woods are named for. The Oni demons are a barely intelligent gigantic ogre-like creature with long sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid with unnatural features with an odd number of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin colors are primarily red or blue, they most often wear tiger-skin loincloths, and are known for carrying iron clubs called, kanabo._

 _Three hours into the forest and the pair meet with their first onslaught of demons and work their way through them with the relative ease that comes from years of intensive training. The last one standing had the ugliest mug of them all and was drooling all over himself as he tried to rush Takara from three feet away._

 _Takara calmly unsheathes her ninth kaiken of the day and throws it unhanded into his heart without any expression of sympathy for the creature._

 _"Okay. I don't get you. First you wimp out when you think you have killed me, then you down an Oni like he isn't crap. What the hell?"_

 _Takara moves amongst the fallen beasts collecting and retrieving her weapons, while cleaning the blades of their blood upon the clothes at their waist._

 _"Easy. These are senseless beast out for the kill and you are a human."_

 _"O-Kay."_

 _Isamu turns away to wipe the blade of his sword clean in the grass, sheathes it, and turns back to watch her retrieve her last kaiken from the body of the ninth downed demon._

 _"Why the hell are you using kaiken like shruiken anyway? Don't get me wrong your damned skilled at it, but that's got to eventually fail you at some point."_

 _Isamu twitches as one of kaiken catches and tugs through the hip seam of his bodysuit and Takara is still bent over the body she was retrieving it from with her face turned away from him._

 _"Seriously!? Where the hell was that skill when we were fighting!?"_

 _Isamu pulls the kaiken out of his suit and studies the little dagger with an angry frown._

 _"Just hand it over before you give yourself an aneurysm staring at the thing."_

 _Isamu looks up to see that she is standing in front of him with her hand extended out for the weapon and angrily slaps the hilt into her palm. She sheathes it, turns away, and heads up the nearest trail away from him._

 _"Do you actually know where you're going or are you just taking a hike through here?"_

 _When she doesn't respond, but still steadily walks away from him, he runs to catch her by the arm, and pulls her to a stop._

 _"You're going the wrong way. This trail leads away from the village."_

 _"Exactly."_

 _Isamu stares at her in disbelief as she looks at him with no emotion, then yanks free of his grasp and continues the way she was going._

 _"I thought you wanted to be cured!"_

 _"Now I don't. Deal with it. I have a mission to complete. Go home, Hunter."_

 _"What the hell is your problem!?"_

 _"You're my problem, Hunter!"_

 _Isamu ducks as she spins, throws a kaiken at him, then throws his crossed arms up to protect his face as she rushes up and drop kicks him in the chest hard enough to plant him onto his back a foot away from her._

 _"You should go your entire life being told your anemic and having freakishly abnormal strength coupled with a strange attachment to a weapon never meant to be used as I use them. Then end up in a brief battle with a complete stranger only to find out your carrying the Turn in your body after biting them and nearly killing them!"_

 _Isamu stares up at her from the ground and finds himself weirdly moved by her sudden show of temper._

 _"I understand. It's a lot to take in and I can't guarantee you this cure, but its still there if you still want it. Just don't leave without at least finding out and end up dead out there somewhere by another Hunter's hand."_

 _Isamu watches her turn away with a defeated huff and smiles to himself at having convinced her to come along with him again._

 _"Fine. Let's go."_

 _Takara turns back, lends him a hand to his feet, and when his palm meets her own a sudden wave of static shock zaps through both their bodies. They cry out in unison and yank their hands away from each other with identical looks of suspicion on their faces._

 _"What the hell did you do that for!?"_

 _"Me! You did this!"_

 _"No I didn't!"_

 _"Then what was that just now!?"_

 _"I don't know!"_

 _They stare at each other for a while, then Isamu gets to his feet and immediately starts up the trail toward his village._

 _"Where are you going!?"_

 _"To the village to get you your cure! What else!?"_

 _"Oh."_

 _She rushes to catch up with him wondering where that shock had come from and what it meant. He flinches when she draws up close to him and glares at her as they continue walking side by side without touching again. They spend the rest of the trek picking off more wild haired, ugly Oni and remain silent the rest of the way to their destination._

 **Hanta-Village of the Hunters**

 _Hanta is a town with a heavily barricaded sheltering wall with little to no grass and flowers to cover the pebbly dirt pathways that make a systematic design throughout the village, with thickly laden wood and stone making up the bulk of the dwellings there. Hanta is home to the Vampire Hunters, rescued human cattle from vampire rule, and other humans seeking sanctuary. The barricade that serves as the entrance to the village has spearheaded pikes for safety with a wraparound walkway for sentries on guard duty and one set of heavy wooden gate doors that is guarded by two sentry guards at all times. The town has only one similarity with Hogo with a large main house building, where the Leaders and Elders reside._

 _Isamu forces Takara to stop with a stiff arm across her chest just at the edge of the forest and catches her by surprise with a stunning dart stabbed into her side as she turns into him to get his arm off of her._

 _"Ow...Wha-"_

 _She clutches at her side in pain, then her violet eyes roll back before falling closed as she collapses into Isamu's chest. He gathers her unconscious body into the cradle of his arms and turns back toward the trail leading to the village with only the slightest hesitation. His bare hand meets the soft underside of her arm as he cradles her and causes him to momentarily pause in surprise to stare down at her beautiful slumbering face._

 _"Geez. You feel as good as you look, princess. I am truly sorry for having to do that to you, but there was no better way to get you into Hanta than as a rescued human from the filthy vampire scum. I do hope you will forgive me when you wake up in a little while."_

 _Isamu switches out his pained face for the tough guy persona and yells out ahead of himself to make his presence known to the two guards at the gate._

 _The two guards are wearing the same forest black camouflage bodysuits as Isamu and are both staring at the unconscious Takara with wide interested eyes on their grinning faces._

 _"Hey, Isamu. What do you got there?"_

 _"Yeah. And can we have a taste before you take her in?"_

 _Isamu scowls furiously at them as they stare pointedly at her slightly pointed vampire ears, squeezes Takara in closer to his chest, and glares at them until their greedy smiles turn into confusion._

 _"She isn't mill. She's prey. Now, open the gate doors before I crack both of your idiot skulls open with this chick still in my arms."_

 _The two guards look fearfully at each other before bowing their heads submissively to their fellow Hunter in guilt._

 _"Hey, man. We didn't know she was cattle."_

 _"Yeah. We didn't mean anything by it. We just thought...Well...She's pretty and has those pointy little ears."_

 _The two cow-eyed, scruffy-headed sentries quickly order the gate doors open by hollering up at the guards above them and the large double doors instantly begin to open as Isamu slowly walks through them with his beautiful burden. He briefly looks back at the two guards as he passes through the seam between the doors with a mean scowl encompassing his handsome features._

 _"Next time ask before making assumptions. You lily-liveried dimwits."_

 _"Our apologies, sir."_

 _"Yeah. Sorry, sir."_

 _Isamu eyes both of their thoroughly chastised expressions before all but marching through the entrance into the village. He walks straight up the path leading to the main house with a few curious eyes watching his progress and up into the large dwelling toward the Chamber of the Fallen._

 _This chamber is much like the Protectors', but along with the weapons on the wall, there are also skulls of slain vampires and above each are plaques with the names of the deceased warriors engraved on them._

 _Isamu pauses at the center of the room to observe the five Elders of the Hunters clan as they quit their conversation mid-word and take notice of the female in Isamu's arms._

 _All five Elders wear the same blood red camouflaged bodysuit, but each wears different colored camouflaged bandannas on their bald heads._

 _They all become instantly defensive as they notice Takara's unusual beauty that is mostly common to the vampire race along with their pointed ears. They all reach instinctively for their weapons as Takara starts violently twitching in Isamu's arms and he knows that the temporary sleep drug he used on her has worn off._

 _Isamu has just enough time to set her on her feet and duck as she comes awake with her fist already flying at his jaw. She punches thin air, stumbles before recovering her balance, takes in her surroundings, and spins on the balls of her feet to poke a sharp fingernail into Isamu's chest._

 _"Next time, give me a warning before you do something like that to me! Understand?!"_

 _"I do apologize, but it was the only way to get you in here unchallenged."_

 _"Why the hell would I have been-Oh."_

 _Takara suddenly notices the five defensively positioned Elders eyeing the two of them with similar looks of utter outrage._

 _"What is the meaning of this, Isamu?! Why have you brought this creature before us alive?!"_

 _"CREATURE?! You listen hear you old-"_

 _"Takara!"_

 _She looks at Isamu in complete astonishment as her own outrage turns her face red and he shakes his head with a look that says to her, please be silent._

 _"Fine! You had better explain it to them then."_

 _He bows his head to her in acknowledgement before turning around to face the enraged Elders and their suddenly drawn weaponry._

 _"Pardon my intrusion, sirs. You see she is not what she seems. I brought her here, because I believe that she may be a half-ling vampire and I have told her that you all may be able to cure her of her partial Turn."_

 _The oldest of the Elders steps from the middle of the group away from the others to join the two of them at the center of the chamber with his broadsword held out to his side in the ready position._

 _"You say this beauty may be a half-ling vampire?"_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _"We shall see. Open your mouth for me if you will, my dear."_

 _Takara looks at Isamu, who closes his dark eyes, and bows his head in indication to proceed as the Elder has requested. She keeps a wary eye on the large intimating Elder's weapon as she slowly opens her mouth to reveal her perfectly white, straight, and sharply pointed fanged canines. She almost guts the Elder when he suddenly thrusts a finger into her mouth and nicks the tip against one of her fangs before rubbing her upper gums with the bloody digit before withdrawing it. He stick the bloodied finger in his mouth as Takara slowly slides her tongue over the mess he left in her mouth with a look of disgust and smiles as he takes his finger back out of his mouth._

 _"Hm? Tell me, my dear. Have you been called hinketsu no and have been fed blood with your every meal?"_

 _Takara stares at him in confusion at knowing her exact ailment and tries not to unsheathe one of her weapons to gut him for defiling her palate with his aged blood._

 _"Chie said that I was born anemic and fed me as an infant from blood laced milk bottles and today I eat raw steaks. Why?"_

 _An amused look spreads across the Elder's wizened face as he sheathes his sword at his back and moves away to rejoin the other Elders._

 _"Isamu, my boy. You were just given your first lesson in deception. This girl is in fact a full blooded vampire. Most likely of the VOL clan."_

 _Hunter and Protector both shout out in question from this surprising revelation, then immediately become defensive as they each grab instinctively for their weapons and attack one another, while the Elders watch on with hungry grins on their faces._

 _Isamu and Takara each exchange powerful blows against each other, while steadily trying to avoid one another's lethal blades. That's until Isamu finally spots a sliver of an opening in Takara's guard, and manages to nick the side of her exposed neck before dodging out of her reach._

 _Takara hisses, grabbing at the stinging wound to smother the flow of precious blood as it slowly soaks the collar of her shirt, and shocks them all by suddenly dropping her weapon to the floor as her violet eyes roll back to the whites._

 _"STOP!"_

 _Isamu pulls back as he's going for the killing blow at the strange change in Takara's voice as another person's vocals emit from her and lowers his sword in confusion as he notes the very rigid stance of her body._

 _"A trance?"_

 _"Spare the Treasured Child of the Protectors!"_

 _The five Elders look amongst themselves in astonishment at the stranger's voice coming from Takara's mouth and the leader immediately scowls in discomfort at the stranger's audacity._

 _"Who are you to command us to desist?!"_

 _"One who reminds you of your forgotten respect and honor to the great legacy of Kenta, Ancestral Leader of the Hunters? She is the Treasured Child of your prophecy. Spare her!"_

 _All of Elders gasp in shock at the mention of the name Kenta and broadsword wielding Elder steps forward once more to question the unknown speaker._

 _"This is the child of a human tainted by vampire poison, who can stun a Hunter with her bite, and deliver the lethal bite to both the VON and VOL?"_

 _"She is. You have only to ask the warrior who brought her here to know the truth."_

 _The oldest Elder flicks his infuriated gaze to Isamu in question and he bows his head in respect._

 _"It is so, sir. She bit me during our first battle and I was momentarily rendered incapacitated by its effects."_

 _This draws an interested quirk of an eyebrow from the Elder and his stern gaze returns to the tranced out Takara._

 _"Then this truly is a sign of the Hunter Prophecy. This girl is the one who will lead us all to a victory over all the vampires and bring the land into an eternal peace. If this is so, then she is not to be harmed, but assisted in every way possible."_

 _They are all momentarily disrupted from their excitement as Takara comes out of the trance with a loud gasp and collapses to the floor in a dazed heap with her small neck wound healing before their stunned eyes._

 _"Wh-what just happened?"_

 _Isamu sheathes his weapon, retrieves Takara's kaiken, kneels before her, and calmly offers it back to her as she slowly looks up at him in confusion. Before he can say a word the Elder steps into their space and captures her full attention with his smug look._

 _"We have reached a unanimous decision and have decided to spare your life in exchange for your assistance, my dear. You need only continue as you were before we sent Isamu to dispatch you and he is under our orders to aid you in any way necessary. Do we have an agreement?"_

 _A cynical look passes over Takara's face as her violet gaze flicks to a solemn faced Isamu and back to the arrogant Elder._

 _"Well...Sense you all were so kind as to spare my life...I can't see why I can't possibly help you."_

 _The Elder ignores her sarcasm and waves for Isamu to aid her to her feet before encouraging her to step closer to the platform the Elders stand upon._

 _"Where is it that you were heading before our interference, my dear?"_

 _Takara refrains from taking advantage of the Elder's defenseless position and dis-guards her need to murder Isamu for leading her into this trap, but answers the question instead._

 _"Like you, we too have Marks, and we do not name them, but act upon our designated mission until it is completed, then return home. You interrupted my designated mission."_

 _The five Elders resume their comfortable positions upon the platform as Takara stands harmlessly before them._

 _"Understood. Isamu will be going with you, so if there is anything at all that you require, while on your journey, we insist that you make use of his skills, my dear."_

 _"Thank you, but I will not require his assistance."_

 _Takara leaves them gaping as she spins on her heels and strides out of the gruesome skull-filled hall of the Fallen, goes outside to suck in a breath of cool air, and lets it out on a grateful sigh._

 _"They must be crazy, if they think I'm going to take a Hunter with me to collect-"_

 _"Hey! What do you mean by leaving me behind like that! You couldn't even find your way here without my help! How do you propose to go about navigating the Oni Mori? Especially, without me there to point out the way, huh!?"_

 _Takara spins around in a fury to stare down a equally infuriated Isamu._

 _"Excuse you!? I knew exactly where I was going in that demon infested wasteland, thank you very much! I could navigate circles around your arrogant ass!"_

 _She turns violently away to stride off down the path with Isamu chasing after her from behind with his teeth gnashed in aggravation. The villagers watch them as they pass in varying degrees of surprise, shock, and stunned observation of the very much alive vampire beauty in their village._

 _"Takara! Stop!"_

 _"Why? You exasperating little man!?"_

 _Isamu skids to a stuttered halt as she suddenly whips around on him with her arms crossed in anger and her beautiful face scrunched up in agitation._

 _"Okay. One. I'm anything but little. Two. I'm just trying to save you from the men around us from stepping forward to challenge you. And three. I really do want to help you."_

 _"Yes. I'm really going to believe you after all I just went through with you the first two times I was fool enough to trust your word. And those men. They have no reason to want to fight me. I am not a threat to them or this village."_

 _"You are right. You were fool enough to trust me...But this time you really need to trust me, because those men only see you for what you are, princess. A Vampire."_

 _A shiver of awareness runs down her spine just as she spots the already fully formed circle of attackers closing in around them from the corner of her eyes._

 _"That's just perfect."_

 _Isamu's whole body tenses up at her sensually delighted tone at the sight of the near dozen male warriors surrounding them._

 _"What exactly do you mean by that statement, Takara? You are not about too...Their experienced Hunters! Are you out of your mind!?"_

 _A wicked gleam enters her violet eyes, sending a strange ripple of excitement through Isamu's tensed muscles, just before she explodes into action, and all but decimates the enclosed circle of men all by her. Leaving Isamu standing as wide-eyed in shock as the rest of the village as she turns back to him with a deadly grin on her face and looking over the pile of unconscious warriors she left lying around them._

 _"Like I said...I don't need your help. Goodbye, Hunter."_

 _Takara saunters away like nothing happened with Isamu slowly coming back to his senses and becoming very enraged by her sudden bursts of skill when she is fighting anyone or anything else besides him._

 _"SERIOUSLY! WHERE THE HELL DOES THAT KEEP COMING FROM!?"_


	3. Chapter 3

**=Chapter 3-A New Moon**

Thanks to Takara's little display of power in the middle of town, she went un-harassed by anymore Hunters, and exited Hanta with a raging Isamu right behind her as she re-enters the Oni Mori. She is plagued by his incessant griping at her the whole way up her chosen trail, about her holding back on their fights, and demanding a full-fledged rematch with no holding back this time.

"I do not hold back. I merely fight on your level. That's it."

"YOU HOLD BACK!"

Takara sighs in exasperation at his childish vehemence and pulls out her map to track down the trail she will need to get to her mission destination. Isamu sees this and immediately steps up behind her to peer over her shoulder to see the graphed details of the mainland and the island of Kodai with various marked trails inked out like snakes across the page.

"So...Where exactly are we headed, princess?"

Takara looks up from her perusal of the map to the three split-off trails ahead of her, and then glances over her shoulder at a curious Isamu and smirks at him with sure relish, because the little traitor thought he was going to follow her around like a lost puppy. Not bloody likely.

"Right down the middle. See you around, Hunter."

She rolls up her map, puts it away, and makes her way up the trail with the expectation that Isamu is being left behind, but instead he is following doggedly after her in silence. She knows he his trailing her, but she squelches her temper and focuses on her destination instead.

They wander through the forest using various trails in a dizzying maze-like patterns with Takara stopping every once in a while to take out her map and soon the peaceable silence around them puts them on edge.

They have been travelling through the Oni Mori for several hours after dark unimpeded and find themselves instinctively moving closer together to keep from being separated with their hands firmly gripping their weapons. Choosing teamwork in a time of danger over their scruples with one another. They search the surrounding trees around them for any unseen dangers, but soon find themselves stepping out into the center of a mysteriously wide open circle of grass. They instantly go into full alert when the aggressive forest suddenly comes alive with the sounds of warning as the unseen danger finally approaches them. They don't have long to wait in anticipation of the coming attack, but what they weren't expecting was a totally enraged kitsune in its full on fox form.

"Lovely. Now we know where the missing Oni went off to. This thing probably scared them all off."

"Yeah. Less sarcasm, princess, and more prepare for all hell to break loose, okay?"

They both unsheathe their weapons and charge the beast before it can decide which of them it wants to destroy first. The silver furred nine tailed kitsune growls menacing at them and its golden eyes spark with lightning. The beast whips its tails straight up in the air, then darts it out at them and knocks them both to the ground.

Takara curls into herself and allows the momentum of the blow to carry her into a roll, onto her back, and into a protective crouch. Isamu hits flat on his back, throws his legs up into his chest, and launches back onto his feet in an attack stance.

The kitsune's intelligent golden gaze takes in their quick recovery from its attack, barks savagely at them, and then fires off two separate lightning bolts from its eyes to disarm them of their weapons.

Takara cries out in distress as one bolt hits her, snatching at the flaming ball of scroll papers at her waist, and throws them to the ground to stamp them out.

"You stupid fucking fox! You just destroyed our only way of navigating out of here!"

Isamu shouts a warning at her, but she doesn't hear it as she storms right up to the kitsune in her rage and punches the suddenly shape-shifting fox right in his very human eye.

"Ow!...Now, that wasn't necessary!"

Takara bares her fangs at the smarting human kitsune as he clutches at his bruised left eye socket and glares at her with his good eye.

The man has long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and sun bronzed skin stretched over a very muscular body. He has pointed ears, a strong slender face with a narrow aristocratic nose, and features that reminds them very much of his fox form. He is wearing a loose fitting white long-sleeves shirt with a silver vest over it, white pants, and bare thickly talon feet with one single fox-tail wagging back behind him.

"Oh, it was soo necessary! You blazed my only map through this demon swarmed hellhole!"

"You shouldn't have tried to fight me then!"

"Listen here you flea bitten-"

"Takara!"

"WHAT?!"

Isamu looks between her and the equally enraged kitsune as they hit him with their dually shouted question, then strolls up to them with a grim grin planted on his frown thinned lips.

"Okay. Let's start with this. Who the fuck are you? Then let's move on to. Why did you torch our only guide through these woods?"

The fox-man stops rubbing his injured eye to look between the couple with a mulish expression on his handsome features.

"My name is Satoru. Your map being burned was an accident. It's not my fault that stray spark of lightning bounced off her blade and down onto those papers."

"It so is too your fault! You threw the lightning in the first place, you creep!"

"Takara?"

"What!?"

She shoots Isamu a brutal glare that has him instinctively clutching at the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Shut it. Please."

She flips him a suggestive finger, then walks off with her arms crossed over her full chest with a sniff of discontent and he returns his attention to Satoru.

"If you didn't mean to do that, then why did you come at us like you did?"

Satoru sighs and slowly turns away to walk off a ways before turning right back around to make his confession.

"I do apologize for the misunderstanding, but while I'm in my fox form, I often can't tell friend from foe. I may have thought you were both apart of the Oni gang I have been tracking after around this area."

"What business would a kitsune have with a group of Oni?"

"They stole something the belongs to me and I want it back!"

Takara rushes back to them with a huge grin on her face and slaps Satoru in the dead center of his chest.

"Now I know what it was that was throwing me off about you earlier! You are missing your hoshi no tama!"

Isamu stares at her in complete confusion, while Satoru is looking at her like she has just lost her mind.

"Hoshi no what?"

"His little onion-shaped ball of kitsunebi. Kitsunes wear it around their necks and store excess power into it."

"Is that what the Oni stole from you?"

"Yes."

The two men scowl at Takara as she starts laughing hysterically at Satoru's miserable answer in reply to Isamu's question and laughs even harder when she sees their disgruntled faces at her outburst of hilarity.

"That's hilarious! An all-powerful nine tailed kitsune outwitted by dimwitted Oni and loses his source of power! Priceless!"

Satoru scowls, takes a menacing step toward her only to pull short as the sight of her glinting blade, and growls out:

"Laugh all you want, little half-breed, but you won't be getting out of these woods anytime soon without my help and I don't intend to help you until you aid me in the retrieving of what is mine!"

This sobers her up, then boils her over into a terrible rage and starts to rush him until Isamu intercepts her by catching her up into his tight embrace.

"Why the hell should we help you!?"

A smug look comes over his features as she struggles loose of Isamu's hold.

"Because, dear sweet girl. If I do not retrieve the hoshi no tama soon, those same mildly clever Oni could use it to wreak havoc in these woods, then move outward to your precious villages just by unleashing the powers stored within it."


	4. Chapter 4

**=Chapter 4-Oni King**

 _After a long screaming match between Takara and Satoru over his, not so, intelligent loss of such a powerful item. Isamu manages to silence Takara with a few choice words whispered in her ear that has her breaking out of his hold and moving rapidly out his range with a deeply crimson face. Satisfied with her silence, Isamu then has Satoru lead the way to the last place he saw the Oni gang._

 _He leads them into the thicker parts of the woods, where there are hardly any trails to lead you out to freedom and stops them upon the crest of a small hill. They all can see the Oni gang quite clearly, seeing as how their giant hairy leader is in possession of the brilliantly glowing hoshi no tama._

 _"Starlight, star bright, first star that I see tonight-"_

 _"Sh...Is that it?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Takara looks around Isamu at Satoru in confusion._

 _"I expected it to be quite a bit bigger than that. It's pretty small for something that holds so much power."_

 _"Explosive things come in small packages, my friend."_

 _"What I don't get is why those walnut brained monsters even bothered stealing your hoshi no tama?"_

 _Isamu looks between Takara and Satoru with a curious expression on his face, while wondering the same thing._

 _"Yes. How did they get the idea to steal it?"_

 _"I can see this isn't going to be as simple as I thought. I guess I'll have to explain. It all started when the Legendary Vampire Queen Hisako found me."_

 _Satoru told them how the Vampire Queen had come upon him after his parents had been slaughtered by a powerful Oni King with the prowess to slay the normally very powerful kitsune. He had had only five tails at the time, so was merely the age of a human teenager by kitsune standards. Hisako had chosen to help him avenge his lost parentage and take over the mantle of the Oni King after the original one had been slain._

 _Afterward, Satoru had shown his gratitude to her by naming her his sister for life, which she had happily accepted at the time by adopting him as her brother. She had told him that his first act as her brother was to extend his hand in aid should she ever have need of it at any point in time and she would endeavor to reciprocate._

 _"Wow. You are beholden to the Queen Mother of all the vampires?"_

 _Isamu scowls at Takara's admiring tone and turns to Satoru sardonic expression._

 _"Yeah. The bitch who seduced our Ancestral Leader, Kenta, away from us Hunters. How nice for you. Essentially what you are saying is that these pinheads stole your hoshi no tama out of revenge for their fallen leader then?"_

 _"Essentially. Yes."_

 _"Fine. Let's get this done and over with, then we can continue onto wherever it is you were going in the first place, Takara."_

 _Takara stares at the side of Isamu's face with curiosity over his statement, but ignores it and prepares for the coming fight instead._

 _"I still say you are not coming and need to go home, Hunter. Anyway, lets see what we are up against here...Hm...I see. That leader of theirs is a Oni Hybrid. He has the long claws and two long horns of an Oni, but he has beautiful blue human skin on him. His companions are definitely Oni, because they all are very disgusting looking. That red one in the middle has five eyes. That's soo gross."_

 _"They are also carrying kanabo."_

 _"Those iron clubs are not fun to go up against."_

 _"We are going to have to retrieve Satoru's hoshi no tama."_

 _"It's off to work we go-"_

 _Takara whistles merrily as she unsheathes two of her kaiken and charges down the hill with Isamu right behind her with his katana._

 _The Oni Hybrid is the first to spot their quick approach and roars a warning to the other five Oni just as Isamu takes a flying leap off the slope of the hill to lop off Oni five eyes head. The four remaining comrades split off to take on each of the human smelling warriors, while their leader tries desperately to access the power within the hoshi no tama._

 _Isamu has just taken down a second Oni with eleven toes and blue skin, when he spots Takara from the corner of his eye, and finds himself momentarily distracted. He manages to ward off his last attacking Oni of the three fat fingers, toes, eyes, and green skin to watch Takara in action with her two Oni._

 _Takara had pulled short when she had seen Isamu go sailing through the air from the hillside and take off Oni five eyes head. A shiver of excitement had went through her at the sight and had brought a rather sinister smile to her face as her two opponents, the purple skinned Cyclops with fifteen digits Oni twins, slowly trying to close her in between them._

 _A liquid heat fills her bones and the taste of acid fills her sensitive mouth just as they draw near enough to reach out to touch her. She bursts into motion, somersaulting backwards over the Oni twin behind her, then childishly kicks him in the rump to send him into his brother. She chuckles as they ricochet off each other, come back together with their identically enraged expressions, she taunts them by sticking her tongue out at them, and they both charge her at the same time. She waits until they are within striking range, and then does a forward flip between them with her arms outstretched and level with their exposed throats. She severs off both of their heads at the inside edges and watches as their heads flop to the opposite sides from each other before landing in a crouch behind them. She slowly straightens up and looks over her shoulder with a fanged grin as they fall face first to the ground in death._

 _"TAKARA! LOOK OU-"_

 _Her head whips back around to the front just as the Oni Hybrid hits her with a ball of flame in her chest. She screams out in pain as it sends her flying backwards to the ground between the dead Oni twins and clutching at her searing wound in the center of her chest. She sucks in a hissing breath as her charred skin rips, then melts like bubbling butter as her blood works quickly to heal the ravaged flesh of the upper mounds of her chest. This does some real damage to her modesty sense the flames had torched a large revealing hole in her shirt and has left her healing breasts loose for all to see._

 _Isamu had seen the flaming ball hit her, heard her scream of pain, and the sight of her wounded upon the ground had had his blood boiling to the point that he had hacked his last Oni opponent to pieces._

 _He is about to charge the Oni Hybrid in his confusing rage as the creature moves over to Takara's prone form, but pulls short when he hears a very familiar animalistic growl rumble up from her. That's when he notices her exposed femininity and nearly drops his sword in his attempt to quickly cover his eyes in crimson shock._

 _"YOU ROTTEN HALF-BREED BEAST OF CREATION! You torched my only shirt! I'm sick of you animals burning my stuff!"_

 _Isamu peeks between his fingers to see her come off the ground in a blur, jump on the surprised Oni Hybrid's back, sink her fangs into his throat, and rip the hoshi no tama away from him in her rage. The creature's scream is such that it brought a terrible chill to Isamu's suddenly rigidly over-heated body. He finally does drop his sword, along with his hands, and watches in horrified fascination as she feasts upon the beast until it collapses to the ground in death. He shudders as she pulls away from the creature's neck with its mixed blood of red and green flowing down her chin to drip off onto her exposed breasts. He blinks in shock as she tears the thoroughly damaged shirt off of her to clean herself, and then yells for Satoru to come get his stupid fucking ball and give her his shirt in payment for its retrieval. He experiences a momentary sense of envy as Satoru pulls off his shirt to give to Takara and she quickly pulls it onto herself with a deeply crimson frowning face boring a laser hole into the kitsune's embarrassed expression as he tries to look anywhere but at her. When she finally looks around, she spots Isamu staring at her with a heated gaze, and he flushes even redder in the face._

 _"Oh! For crying out loud! You two men act like you've never seen a pair of women's breasts before!"_

 _"To be perfectly frank. I haven't seen a pair quite like those since I saw Hisako's slightly fuller ones at the stream we went to get cleaned up in after our battle with the Oni in my youth."_

 _Isamu remains silent, because he is taking in the contrast between her red shirt with her liquid gold blonde hair to the white of Satoru's slightly bigger shirt and finding himself wishing he wasn't there._

 _"Hey! What's your excuse, Isamu?"_

 _Rather than answer her, Isamu retrieves his sword off the ground, sheathes it, and marches right up to Satoru with a mean scowl._

 _"And just where were you while we were retrieving your hoshi no tama, Fox?"_

 _Satoru finishes putting his hoshi no tama on around his neck and turns a frown on Isamu at his infuriated tone._

 _"Hey, no need to get growly at me, my friend. I was up there watching until I saw a need for my assistance. I almost came down after that Oni Hybrid nailed Takara there with a fireball, but held back when she came off the ground at him."_

 _"Whatever...We retrieved your damned ball. Now lead us out of here!"_

 _"Okay. Where is it that you wish to go?"_

 _Takara frowns at Isamu's sudden aggression and wonders at his clear avoidance of her earlier question. She decides not to push him and grabs Satoru by the ear instead to bring him down to her level, then whispers her destination to him._

 _"Oh. I see. You're a Protector and this here fellow is a Hunter. How odd? Why do you two enemies travel together to this place by the shore?"_

 _The still aggravated Isamu and Takara share a momentarily secretive look before he looks back at Satoru to respond to his question._

 _"Let's just say that we weren't left much of a choice and leave it at that, Fox. Now let's move!"_

 _Satoru and Takara watch as Isamu storms back up the hill, leaving them and their slain enemies behind._

 _"My. He's a testy one, isn't he?"_

 _"Pretty much. We just need to get going now, okay?"_

 _"All right. Right this way, little ones."_

 _It wasn't until they were a good ways into their walk that Takara had just included Isamu on her travels and finds herself feeling kind of strange at the thought of being around him for the rest of the journey._


	5. Chapter 5

**=Chapter 5-Blood Vision**

 _They have been treking through the woods for several hours when Takara finally sighes in surrender to her feminine needs._

 _"Um...Satoru? Is there a place in these woods that would allow a girl to clean herself up, find some food, and catch a few hours restful sleep?"_

 _Satoru looks briefly over his shoulder at her, smiles, nods, and leads them to a clean stream, then disappears on them before she can tell him of her gratitude._

 _"Uh...Thank you! You think he'll be back?"_

 _"He had better be or I'm going to hunt him down and turn him into a warm fox-furred jacket."_

 _Takara stares at Isamu for a moment then bursts into laughter._

 _"You? Hunt down a notoriously clever kitsune in his own domain? Yeah right."_

 _"Why not? Those Oni were able to outwit his fox-hide and steal his source of power."_

 _"Yeah, but they had the advantage of a Oni Hybrid, who are noted for being fairly intelligent."_

 _"Are you calling me stupid?"_

 _"Yes...No...Maybe."_

 _She struggles to repress her smile of amusement as he stares at her in shock at her joke._

 _"Aw...Go take your bath, woman! I'll get us a small fire going and see if there's any meat worth hunting down nearby."_

 _"Yeah. You do that, tough guy."_

 _Isamu catches sight of the slight curving of her cupid's bow lips as she turns away from him to go down to the stream to clean up. He watches her until she's out of sight, then turns about and heads through the trees in search of firewood and a meal._

 _Isamu returns a little while later with the firewood and three rabbits freshly prepared for cooking. He piles up the wood he collected into a tent-shaped stack, uses a couple sticks to get a sparking flame, and hangs two of the rabbits by their jaws on a couple of the angled sticks to cook. He lays the last rabbit close to the flames to warm it, but not to cook it sense he remembered that Takara mentioned she only eats raw meat._

 _He hears splashing coming from the direction of the stream and finds himself sleuthing through the trees with only the thought of making sure Takara is okay._

 _As he moves to the edge of the trees nearest the stream, he sees that there is a beam of moonlight spotlighting the exact spot where Takara is bathing, and finds his eyes riveted by the view before him._

 _Takara flips her wet golden hair behind her in a big arcing wave as she moves herself backwards from beneath the water and runs her slender hands back until most of the water has been wrung out of it. Then she cups her hands, slides them back under the surface, and brings the water filling her palms to her mouth to drink with a gratified sigh after her thirst is quenched. She crosses her arms over her bosom as she leans back and lets the water buoy her in a cool cloud of comfort._

 _She stares up at the moon through the trees with a contented smile on her slightly blue lips, then gives into her bodies' demands for warmth and sits up to leave the cold water. She is just making her way up the shore when she hears the distant sound of an indrawn breath and her eagle eyes immediately track the sound to its source with surprise._

 _Isamu knows instantly that his uncontrolled response to the sight of her lovely form had just got him in horrible trouble when Takara's head whipped around at the sound to stare glaringly in his direction._

 _"What the hell!? Are you perverted now, too!?"_

 _"NO! I-Um..."_

 _Rather than try to explain himself, he turns, and leaves her alone to go check on the meat cooking over the fire back at the semi-camp._

 _When Takara joins him there, he immediately tells her he's going to get cleaned up as well and to help herself to the uncooked rabbit before leaving her there to glare after him._

 _Takara eats the rabbit, but after that she gives into spite and goes to spy on him as he had spied on her earlier. She reaches the spot where he had been in little time with her vampire speed._

 _What she sees when she gets there has her blushing like a little girl as she sees Isamu standing halfway out of the water and shaking the cold water out of his thick locks of reddish-brown hair. The moonlight catches upon his dark sun bronzed skin and reveals a mass of large muscularly toned upper body parts to her tantalized sight._

 _"Wow."_

 _Her eyes widen at her slip, slaps a hand to her mouth, and turns red in embarrassment as he raises his head to stare in her direction. His dark onyx gaze instantly locks her in place, causing her to swallow heavily, and just stand there watching him as he slowly leaves the water. He calmly puts on his bodysuit to cover himself, but leaves his upper body uncovered with the zipper holding at his waist. He continues to hold her gaze as he carefully makes his way to her and stops close enough to her to make her feel very uncomfortable._

 _"What's the matter, princess? You act like you have never seen a man naked before."_

 _She barely hears his calmly spoken sarcasm as her eyes land on the thick bulge on his nose, where it has obviously been broken one too many times and uses it as an excuse to keep her eyes from traveling to a different bulge._

 _"Did you get that damaged nose from training or on your missions hunting vampires?"_

 _"A little of both. The vamps are very fond of breaking noses."_

 _"Oh."_

 _She reaches up to touch the hard bump with gentle fingertips and winces when he suddenly grasps her wrist in a hard hold._

_"Ow! Let go!"_

 _He stares at her hand with a scowl, and then drops it before walking away from her back to their camping spot with her trailing along behind him with a fierce glare lasering into his back._

 _Once there he tells her he is going to take first watch to keep any stray Oni from intruding on their resting place and that she should get some sleep while she can._

 _Takara flips him a finger, but does what he says simply because she's really too exhausted to do otherwise and lays down close to the fire on her side before promptly falling to sleep._

 _The first thing to enter her subconscious field of vision is a large tranquil place surrounded by rivers, streams, and mountainous waterfalls. Then came the beautiful sight of a large maze-like structure made of golden marble that she could only assume to be the castle at the realm of light, Hikaru. Her adoptive mother had told her stories abut the hybrid vampire kingdom when she was young and found that the details resembled those stories greatly._

 _As her dream continues, it slowly panes inward towards the inside of the great golden castle, where she sees a harmoniously gathered crowd of some humans, Protectors, and a multitude of gorgeous mix-bred Oni Hybrids. The dream sweeps completely into the castle and through several intersecting corridors, until it pulls to a stop to show a wondrous view outside on a large half-moon sized balcony garden. A fountain made of pure crystal stands at the gardens' center with three tiered basins that catch and release the steadily flowing water from the pommel of a large replica cross-armed broad sword sheathed down the middle of each basin to the fountain's base._

 _"Hisako!? Hisako? Where are you, my queen?"_

 _"I am here, my love."_

 _Takara's dream gaze widens in shock at the vision of beauty that appears from amongst the large bushy green foliage that makes up the garden. The very blooms of varies brightly colored flowers nearly paled in comparison to this woman's radiance._

 _She has high pointed ears, a slender heart-shaped face with a small aristocratic nose, and the slender body of her race. Takara knows the woman is a vampire from the slight flash of fangs the woman reveals when she smiles upon the stranger strolling in her direction. She wears a pure white long-sleeves ankle length dress with a rainbow colored camouflage sash at her waist, a pure white robe is draped over her shoulders, and her bare feet are slender like the rest of her._

 _As the male stranger draws nearer to her, she nervously collects her waist long liquid golden blonde hair into her hands and drapes the floor length mass of it over her shoulder to expose the light brown column of her neck. The man immediately comes to stand before her and drops his thick blue-black short haired head to her throat to place a loving kiss against her deeply throbbing pulse._

 _Takara's dream self-warms up at the intimate sight and looks closer at the details of the man as he pulls away to look into the woman's love filled blue eyes with his dark green adoring ones._

 _He has a strong dark toned face with a square jawline, a thick narrow nose, and a heavily muscled body covered in a white camouflaged bodysuit of a Hunter. He has a cross-armed broad sword strapped to his back and a thick pair of large white leather boots._

 _"Are you well, my beauty?"_

 _"Yes. This may be my first live birth, but I am aware of my own comforts, my protective Hunter."_

 _Shocked, Takara's dream gaze follows the man's hand to where it caresses Hisako's softly rounded belly._

 _"Our first of many Day walkers. I am justified in my need to watch after you both until this first child has been safely delivered into our new kingdom and has walked fiercely into their adulthood to rule in our stead."_

 _"Fiercely? Kenta, really? This child will be kind as well as strong like its father. Those are the qualities I fell so hard in love with when I met you, my king."_

 _"I thought it was because of my good looks."_

 _"Don't you wish."_

 _They both reveal fangs when they laugh and slowly come together in a loving embrace that ends with an awe-consuming kiss that sends a quaking feeling through Takara's dream body._

 _Takara awakens to Isamu kneeling over her shaking her with a frown on his very handsome face and instantly knows that she can no longer continue her mission to the Ancient, but needs to go to Hikaru instead._

 _"Call Satoru. We need to get to Hikaru."_

 _"The Land of Light? Kingdom of the Day walkers?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"You were talking in your sleep earlier before I woke you."_

 _Takara pauses midway between shifting up and moving to a standing position away from Isamu, which leaves her face level with his own._

 _"I did? What did I say?"_

 _"You mumbled a lot and said something about 'their love' being a thing of beauty. Who are they?"_

 _"No one. Please call Satoru."_

 _She quickly gets to her feet before he can stop her and reluctantly yells out for Satoru and the fox immediately walks from behind a stand of trees in his human form to greet them._

 _"Ready to continue are we?"_

 _"No."_

 _"No?"_

 _"Yes."_

_Satoru looks between Isamu and Takara in confusion._

 _"Yes? Which is it you two? Yes, or no?"_

 _"Ignore Isamu. He's being weird. I need to change my original destination to Hikaru. I need to go there. I feel that it is very important that I go there instead of the other place."_

 _"Oh? I see no problem with altering our course. Are you both ready to proceed?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Yes."_

 _Takara throws a disgruntled look at the scowling Isamu and waves for Satoru to lead the way. As Satoru wanders off through the trees to lead them towards Hikaru, Isamu suddenly grabs Takara's arm, and pulls her into him._

 _"Ow! What!? Let me go!"_

 _"I don't know why you have this sudden need to go to Hikaru, but you will tell me of this dream of yours before we reach the VOL, understand?"_

 _"What gives you the right to demand anything from me, Hunter!? I am a Protector and will follow through on my mission as I see fit and my instincts are telling me that Hikaru is the place I need to go to first! You are a Hunter and have no right to dictate to me! Got it!?"_

 _"I got it, but while you may be a Protector and I a Hunter, I am indeed here to protect you by my Elders' orders, and despite how skilled you are in a fight, I will not allow you to go anywhere I deem unsafe. Are we clear, princess?"_

 _Takara growls at him before wielding her kaiken a breath away from the ball of his jugular and angles it to nick him enough to cause blood to flow. He grows perfectly still at the obvious threat and she smiles menacingly at him as the blade edge becomes covered in his blood._

 _"I will tell you what, Hunter. You don't tell me what to do and maybe, just maybe, I'll tell you what you want to know, but you manhandle me again and I will kill you. Am I perfectly clear, tough guy?"_

 _"Crystal."_

 _She removes the knife from his throat, licks the blade clean before sheathing it, and leans into him before licking his wound closed. She makes to turn away, but suddenly turns back just as he is about to relax his stance and glares straight up into his scowling face._

 _"One more thing. Lose the attitude. We will never get anywhere together with you always trying to bully me into submission. And I still think you should just go back home, Hunter."_

 _She finally walks away from him to follow after Satoru and he waits until she's a good distance away from him before giving in to the need to contradict her._

 _"Princess. You have no idea the ways in which I would love for you to submit to me, but I'll do us both a favor and save that for a time when you are ready for them."_

 _Isamu slowly follows after her, boring a heated stare into Takara's sauntering backside, and stalking up the trail in a very foul temperament towards Hikaru._


	6. Chapter 6

**=Chapter 6-Untold Betrayal**

 _The Elders of Hanta took the name of Takara's adoptive mother, Chie, and sent out inquiries about her and soon found that Takara is a vampire born and raised by the infamous Mistress Protector of Hogo. They decide to insure that Takara remains under their influence and send out a trio of Hunters to eliminate all threats to that slim control over the girl. The trio waits until nightfall to enter the village and upon the Elders orders slew the two Elders of Hogo before moving onto Chie's house. When they get their they find themselves surprised to find the old warrior woman gone from her bed and waiting for them in her lounging room instead._

 _"Hello, boys. Out for a bit of a stroll are we? It's a tad late for that, but I'm happy to keep you company until you are all ready to return home."_

 _Chie whips her curved bladed tachi sword over her head one handed, then two hands it before her with a grim smile upon her wrinkled lips. Her wizened old amber eyes take in each of the large young men in their black camouflage bodysuits and each of their chosen weapons of a katana, shurikens, and a garrote._

 _"You may succeed in your mission, boys, but the woman you're really after will know that I'm out of the way and will come for her."_

 _"And how will she know that, hag?"_

 _Chie smirks, repositions her stance towards the katana wielder in the middle of the trio, and watches the other two split off to surround her from the corners of her eyes._

 _"They all will hear the call of my blood. I only need speak their names to warn them of your plans, little Hunters."_

 _"Not if we kill you first, old woman."_

 _"Very well then. I only hope you boys don't mind fighting a little old lady in her night gown."_

 _Chie ducks the garrote user as he tries to slip over her guard, twists to the floor to avoid the shuriken thrower's toss, and dives between the katana wielders legs as he tries to swipe at her on the fly. She rolls to her back, boots katana in the butt, so he stumbles away from her and leaps to her feet with her tachi sword arm stretched outward to catch shuriken in the belly as he tries to stab her in the neck. As she spins around the leaping garrote, she whispers three names under her breath just as the gutted shuriken hits the floor in death._

 _After that she gets locked up in a sword fight with katana as they parry each other's thrusts and soon garrote is putting an end to the dance by throwing the tool around her neck to strangle her from behind. Katana smiles in victory before pulling his sword off to his side into a two handed position for the killing blow, but she still manages to skewer garrote in the thigh with her sword before katana can finish her._

 _"TAKARA!"_

 _Garrote screams in pain, losing his hold on one end of the tools handles to free Chie just as Katana thrusts his blade deep into her chest before she could sidestep the killing blow. Garrote and katana remove the swords at the same time, then watch as Chie falls to the floor with a satisfied smile on her aged lips. Katana grins into her dying gaze and waves his bloody blade at her as they fall closed for one final time._

 _"I told the old hag that she wouldn't get all those names spoken out."_

 _"Yeah, but she did get the girl's name out. We won't be able to get her to cooperate now."_

 _"That's all right. We can still surprise the other target though."_

 _Katana and Garrote pick up their dead comrade and quietly leave Hogo without a single shout of distress to warn anyone that they had been there._

 _In Yuro, the Land of Night, an unknown female vampire awakens in the early dawn, screaming in outrage, startling a unidentified male vampire from his rest beside her, and they both sit up in the shadowy confines of their bedchamber to embrace one another._

 _"Is everything well with you, my love?"_

 _"No. I don't know. I feel...I can't remember. All I know is that I am so very angry for some reason."_

 _"It also appears that you are clearly upset, my love. You shed tears."_

 _"I am?"_

 _The man's shadowed form reaches out in the darkness to wipe away the glittering tears glistening upon the woman's cheeks._

 _"How odd. I wonder why?"_

 _"I do not know myself, love. Just try to lay back down and go back to sleep, then upon the night the answer should present itself to you. Yes?"_

 _"Perhaps."_

 _Slowly, the woman's and the man's shadowed forms lie back in each other's arms to return to their daylight resting._

 _Once the man knows the woman has returned to sleep , he carefully rolls away from her side to hug his pillow close to his shadowed face, and allows a mournful wail to escape him into the silencing cushion before coming up for air._

 _"Farewell, dear sweet Chie."_

 _There is a hooded figure floating along on a small wooden craft upon the sea separating the island of Kodai from the mainland and there is a hitodama hovering over the being's shoulder. The fog surrounding them is suddenly filled with a brilliant flare of blue light as the hitodama sparks in apparent agitation and causes the hooded figure to raise their half bent head to look toward the winking ghost flame._

 _"I know, my friend. Would you go look after her spirit until she is finally released from this world, please?"_

 _The hitodama flickers twice before fading from sight and the soft spoken figure's head bends back down in solemnity._

 _"Dearest Chie. Mistress Protector. I bid thee a fond farewell and hope we'll meet again after all has been resolved. I can only hope that your sacrifices will not have been in vain as I try to correct the mistakes of the past."_

 _The fog closes back in around the hooded figure and hides the craft from sight as the morning sun tries to burn through as the sea gently glides towards the mainland._


	7. Chapter 7

**=Chapter 7-Dreams & Sorrows**

 _Isamu and Takara are camped outside the borders of Hikaru for the second night of their journey across the mainland through the Oni Mori. Isamu has taken first watch as usual, while Takara lies sleeping by a small fire. Her newest dream has taken her to a vaguely familiar Hanta, village of the Hunters._

 _Her dream gaze alights upon a different Hisako awaiting the two guards at the open gate doors to move just those last couple of inches out of her escape path, and then quickly uses their inattention to slip through and away towards the woods. The sentries at the top of the gate force her to stick to the shadows and take the long way around into the demon forest. Her long golden blonde hair catches little glimmers of light as the full moon looms over the surrounding trees and peers happily through the tiny space between the branches._

 _Hisako is nearing the edge of the forest, when she hears a low guttural growl from behind, and peeks over her shoulder to see the beastly leader of the vampire hunters charging after her. She ducks out of reflex as she hears the whistle of his dagger cutting through the air after her, it whizzes over her head to stick into the nearest tree, then she spins just in time to take his full on tackle, and gasps painfully as she is slammed into the trunk of the tree behind her. At his nearness she smells the scent of her race coursing through his adrenaline laced blood and sees red as she comes to the clear conclusion that the hunters have been obtaining their incredible strength from eating her people._

 _"You and your human savages have been devouring my people!"_

 _"Your people are dead things that need annihilating. We take what's left of them once we finish them off to make our bread and obtain their strength so we may fight as equals in battle!"_

 _Hisako swallows painfully as his hands wrap around her throat and grip firmly upon her jugular with his crossed over thumbs applying pressure to cut off her breathing. She stares at his enraged features through pain slit eyes and braces her hands against his chest as he deliberately tightens his hold around her neck. This causes her to gage, but when he suddenly releases his hold on her throat she sharply inhales a burning breath of air._

 _Kenta unsheathes one his blessed daggers to wield over her heart, causing her beautiful face to momentarily register panic, and brings a nasty murderess gleam to his eerily green eyes._

 _Hisako's very soul cries out in denial of her impending death from the man and hunter she has grown foolishly in love with and resorts to the only defensive move she has left to stop him without killing him or herself._

 _She catches hold of the wrist of the hand wielding the dagger in her grasp, pulling it away at the same time she throws herself forward, and captures his grimacing lips in a fierce kiss. Her hand is still braced against his chest, just over his heart, and feels the exact moment when his human heart stutters beneath her sensitive palm._

 _Slowly, the tension in his weapon hand relaxes within her grasp and looses the hilt from his grip to drop the dagger point first into the ground beside their feet. His large hand suddenly tangles into her long tresses to pull her head roughly back at an angle, causing her to open her mouth on a hiss of pain, and finds herself swamped with a deep hungry kiss. Her own hands find their way to the only loose part of his bodysuit at the collar, gripping the loose flaps, and pulling him closer into her._

 _She moans as he traces the length of her fangs, having lengthened from arousal, with the tip of his tongue, then deliberately slices it against the sharp points, and nearly drowns her with his blood filled kisses. She swallows his grunt of pain as her sharp clawed nails find their way into his hair to scrape against his scalp, while she suckles hungrily at his bleeding tongue._

 _His hands soon find their way onto her body to run possessively over every inch of her full curvy form, from her breasts to her hips, and back up again. Then he caresses her back down to her heart shaped bottom and grips just under her thighs._

 _Her body suddenly arches violently into him as his blood sends erotic fantasy filled images into her hyper aware mind. She instinctively locks her legs around his strong waist as he hitches her high up upon his hips, as his baser instincts demand for him to give into his more primitive side, and take complete possession of her._

 _She cries out as he suddenly rips his mouth away from her own and looks into her distressed brilliantly blue eyes with a purely intense seriousness in his own lightened green eyes._

 _"You are mine?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"You will never try to leave my sight again?"_

 _"No."_

 _"Prove your loyalty, Hisako. Return the blood I have just given you."_

 _Hisako doesn't even hesitate as she pulls her hand away from his thick black hair, slits her wrist with her fangs, and offers the bleeding wound to him. He looks from the oozing wrist to her, takes hold of her forearm, and brings the open wound to his lips to slowly, seductively, feed from her with his eyes locked on her own. Her eyes roll back to the whites before falling closed in ecstasy and barely registers the hungry growl from him as her own fantasy laced images fill his own mind._

 _When he finally reclaims her mouth with another drugging kiss, she nearly comes undone at the seams from the taste of their mixed blood, and they both are soon tearing off each other's' garments in an attempt to get at-_

 _"AH!"_

 _Takara bolts upright out of her sleep as a searing pain assails her, causing her to clutch at her heart as it throbs painfully in sharp heavy beats, and gasps for breath as a wave of mourning battles against the erotic effects of her latest dream. Her cheeks flood with color as the heat of the dream fills her and spots Isamu out of the corner of her eye with his sword drawn in concern._

 _The sorrow of sudden death slams through her again and with it the realization that her adoptive mother, Chie, is dead. She is drowning in the flood of the mixed tides of lust and sorrow as she lets loose a desperate cry for aid._

 _Isamu wrenches back as she cries out in anguish, then quickly sheathes his sword to rush to her side, and drops down to wrap her up in a kneeling embrace._

 _"What happened?!"_

 _"It's Chie! Sh-She's...Dead!"_

 _"What? How do you know?"_

 _"We shared a b-blood tie...And now she's gone!"_

 _"Takara...I am so sorry."_

 _Takara suddenly knocks him away as a flash of images sails through her mind, stands on shaky limbs, and points an accusatory finger at him as tears flow unceasingly down her overheated cheeks._

 _"This is your entire fault! She died, because you're Elders sent assassins after her!"_

 _Isamu surges to her feet to stand before her in outrage._

 _"How do you know that!? She could have just died in her sleep! She was old, right!?"_

 _"No! It was in her blood! She sent me the final visions that crossed her dying eyes! Your people killed her!"_

 _"And...What!?...You think this is all my doing then!? I have been with you this whole time, Takara! I have no idea what my people are doing right now!"_

 _"I don't care! It was Hunters that killed her! You are a Hunter and I hate you all!"_

 _"Damn it, Takara! I didn't know!"_

 _Isamu tries to recapture her into his embrace, but she alludes him and moves farther from his reach._

 _"No! Don't touch me! You need to leave or I will kill you and send you back to your people in pieces, Hunter!"_

 _Suddenly, a calm mask falls over Isamu face as he slowly reaches out to her._

 _"You are not going to do any such thing, Takara. You need to calm down and start thinking rationally."_

 _"Stop telling me what to do!"_

 _Takara suddenly draws a kaiken and goes to stab him, but he chop blocks her wrist to disarm her before wrapping her back up in his strong arms._

 _"LET ME GO!"_

 _"No. Not until you calm down."_

 _"Damn you! Let me go, Isamu!"_

 _"Never."_

 _Takara gasps sharply in surprise as he suddenly captures her lips in a seductively soothing kiss that instantly stops her struggles to free herself from his embrace and melting into his hold as the lust of the dream over-shadows the sorrow raging through her._

 _"Mm..."_

 _Isamu slowly loosens his grip, then runs his hands from her lower back, up to her neck in slow soothing circles, then raises his palm up to cup her still tear streaked cheeks and tilts her head slightly back to deepen the kiss. She grasps at the flaps at his collar to keep from falling, when a loud snapping of a branch startles them apart, and falls to her backside anyway._

 _"What the hell are you two doing!?"_

 _Takara tries to stifle a sniffle as she shifts away in embarrassment as her sorrow is nearly forgotten for a moment and Isamu gingerly strokes his fingers over his lips as if he were trying to rub their former intimacy into his flesh in a permanent fashion._

 _"Nothing that is of any business of yours, Fox."_

 _A furious look passes over Satoru's face and he storms closer to confront them._

 _"Like hell! There isn't going to be any of that hanky-panky stuff in my woods! Do you hear me!?"_

 _Isamu slowly turns around to glare at Satoru and rorars back at him:_

 _"Shut up, Fox! Before I put my fist in your barking trap!"_

 _"Oh, yeah!? Bring it on, tough guy!"_

 _"As you wish!"_

 _The two men start to charge at each other only to pull short when a more composed Takara suddenly inserts herself between them and throws up a bracing palm against both their chests._

 _"Look here you two! There won't be any fighting between you! Not as long as we still need Satoru to guide us and I need Isamu to watch my back, while I'm having these dream visions! Am I clear!?"_

 _A soft expression settles over Satoru's handsome features as her gaze meets his own._

 _"Perfectly, little one."_

 _Takara drops her hands off of them both and stares meaningfully at Isamu as she awaits his assertion._

 _"I will concede for now, princess."_

 _"Thank you. Now, Satoru, if you would please. It is daylight and I really must get to the Hikaru castle immediately."_

 _"Of course. Right this way, little one."_

 _Satoru directs Takara in the right direction ahead of him and waits until Isamu goes to pass him before adding his finally statement of discontent._

 _"She is too good for you, boy. Stay away or I will be forced to make you."_

_Isamu throws a smug look over his shoulder at the kitsune in return._

 _"I would like to see you try, Fox."_

 _The two men glare at each other before swiftly moving apart and rushing to catch up with Takara on the trail to Hikaru._


	8. Chapter 8

**=Chapter 8-The Land of Light**

 **Hikaru-The Land of Light**

 _Hikaru is a tranquil place surrounded by rivers, streams, and mountainous waterfalls. Naturally built within the mountains is the golden marble castle of the VOL. The castle is a large maze like structure, where all in Hikaru live in harmony together. The VOL are a peaceable people, whose clan colors reflect that given harmony with the purity of white clothing blended with orange and yellow on sashes or bandanas._

 _They also are fierce protectors of their kingdom, because as soon as the travelers cross the Hikaru border over the stone way bridge leading toward the castle, a small group of warrior VOL come to greet them with claws and fangs. They had Isamu bagged and tagged in less than five seconds of his drawing his sword, which left Satoru rolling on the ground in a fit of hysteria._

 _"Master Satoru?"_

 _The kitsune immediately composes himself and bows to the assembled warriors, who are holding Isamu amongst themselves like a strung up fish after the catch._

 _"Master?"_

 _Satoru turns to Takara to explain, but there is a sudden uproar of excited inhalations and surprised babbling from the observing warriors. The leader of the group of warriors steps out from amongst them in a long white robe like Hisako had worn in Takara's dream, but with an orange sash and yellow bandana. He moves within a foot of Takara with a look of abstract curiosity on his lightly tanned face and a slow smile spreads across his lips as Takara shifts nervously away from him._

 _"Master Satoru. You must introduce us all to your enchanting young friend."_

 _"Oh, of course, forgive me, Minister. This is Takara, and that fellow over there is in fact a Hunter, but is her protector, so you may release him. He is not a threat."_

 _"Very well."_

 _The Minister nods to the others and they immediately free Isamu from his bonds. After he is released, he glares at the warriors, then at the still grinning Satoru, before calmly moving back to Takara's side._

 _"You did not tell us you were arriving so soon, Master Satoru, or we would have been more welcoming to your guests."_

 _"Yes, well, I do apologize for the disruption. The boy is a guest, but the girl, however, has birthright. Her Majesty sends her request, if you are willing."_

 _"Aw! Wonderful! In that case...Welcome to Hikaru esteemed guests!"_

 _Takara and Isamu look between each other, and then at Satoru, who merely inclines his head and gestures at the awaiting Minister._

 _"Um...Thank you."_

 _"And do forgive us, young Takara, for accosting your gentlemen."_

 _"Oh, well, that's okay. He's used to it."_

 _"Takara."_

 _"What?"_

 _Isamu raises an eyebrow at her and she just smiles at him before returning her attention back to the bemused Minister._

 _"Why do you call Satoru master?"_

 _The Minister turns his wise gaze upon the kitsune with a chiding look._

 _"I see you have been negligent again, Satoru. This one deserves your honesty, don't you think?"_

 _"Yes, but for now, until she has had the tour, just keep it simple, please?"_

 _"Of course. Master Satoru has shared ruler ship from her former Majesty, the Queen Mother, sense he is her brother."_

 _"Adopted, Minister."_

 _"Of course, Master Satoru."_

 _"Oh."_

 _Takara eyes Satoru until a slight blush steals across his cheeks and is forced to look away from her questing gaze._

 _"Yes, now, if you're ready, miss, I personally would like to give you the tour of the castle, if that's okay with the gentlemen, of course?"_

 _"I'm pleased. Proceed, Minister."_

 _"Takara. A moment?"_

 _Takara turns to Isamu, sees that he is already walking away, and throws a one second sign at the Minister before following after the Hunter._

 _He takes them out of what they both know is a vampires range of hearing, back at the edge of the forest, and waves her closer to stand before him._

 _"Am I the only one who finds all of this extremely odd?"_

 _"No, but I know this is really important. For me, specifically, and I want to know why."_

 _"If you should need to, could you kill what is essentially your own kind?"_

 _"If I have to. I am not an idiot, Isamu. I'm a trained Protector after all."_

 _She hisses when he suddenly claps his hands on either side of her neck and pulls her toward him until their foreheads are touching. He flinches when he feels her kaiken's blade pressed firmly against his belly._

 _"Just checking. I had to be sure you could still function after losing your mother Protector."_

 _"I love...I loved Chie, but I am capable of defending myself."_

 _"Good...One more thing-"_

 _He captures her lips, then gently coaxes her to open for a more thorough, deeper kiss and nearly devours her very soul by the time he finally lets her go with a confused expression on her beautiful face._

 _"You're really throwing me off, Hunter. First you hate me, now you're kissing me like a hungry man...What's up with that?"_

 _"I'll tell you sometime, but not today. We need to return before they become suspicious."_

 _She frowns at his evasion, but follows after him without a word as he starts toward the Minister, then waves for the vampires to precede her. The still beaming Minister, immediately, strolls ahead of them into the castle, and then takes them to a very large banquet hall covered wall to wall with portraits and a long rectangular table arranged with freshly prepared foods at the center of the room._

 _"Wow."_

 _"I took the liberty of sending ahead for your meal. Satoru informed me that you both have had to make do with the poor fair that the woods offer for quite some time."_

 _"Oh, um, thank you."_

 _"Your foresight is very appreciated, Minister."_

 _"Of course, Master Satoru."_

 _Isamu exchanges a meaningful look with Takara before looking between the Minister and Satoru, which she acknowledges with a subtile nod._

 _"Satoru. I need to speak to you, please."_

 _"All right, Hunter. Takara, we will be just out in the hall. Holler if you need us, okay?"_

 _"Okay."_

 _She waits until the men are out of sight before taking advantage of Isamu's obvious distraction and turning on the Minister with a stern expression planted on her face._

 _"Now-"_

 _"Satoru's right. You do look like her."_

 _Takara's stern expression collapses at this statement and leaves her flabbergasted._

 _"What?"_

 _"Come. Look here."_

 _Puzzled, Takara trails the Minister over to one of the portraits and follows his gaze to look upon-_

 _"Hisako!?"_

 _"Yes. Have you met the Queen Mother?"_

 _"I-...Yes, but..."_

 _Only in her dreams and they hadn't been nearly as detailed as this portrait portrayed her with the very same outfit from her garden dream painted on her. Even the shade of blue in her eyes stands out more brilliantly than in any of her dreams could have ever shown._

 _"It's beautiful."_

 _"She is beautiful and you look just like her."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Except, your eyes are a very intense shade of purple. Are your eyes by chance, violet?"_

 _"Yes. They are."_

 _"The VOL have a Prophecy and it says that a descendant of the Great Ancestors, born of nightfall and daylight, will come to free us from the rule of the VON."_

 _Takara rocks back away from the painting and scowls at the grinning Minister._

 _"Grr! This is the third prophecy I've heard since I started this journey and I'm beginning to really hate them. The Protectors call me the savior of sun and moon, the Hunters call me the treasured child, and now you, the VOL, call me the descendant of the Great Ancestors. Each of you expect some great victory from me, but how do you all know for sure I am this person you all seek?"_

 _The Minister merely points at Hisako's portrait, drawing her curious gaze to a dull red-black script scrolled along the bottom right hand corner._

 _"What is that?"_

 _"After the painter finished her Majesty's commissioned portrait, she had him allow her the honor of inscribing it with her own name, instead of his own, and you should know that the painter was the Ancestral Leader of the Hunters, Kenta."_

 _"Really?"_

_"Why so surprised, princess? Hunters are just as good at the arts as they are the art of warfare."_

 _Takara smiles at Isamu as he draws closer to her side to observe the portrait and tells him about the inscription. He leans close, gently touches the delicate signature, and softly sniffs at it before pulling back from it with a slight frown._

 _"Hmm? Did she do it with her blood by any chance?"_

 _The Minister turns a surprised look upon Isamu at this question._

 _"Why, yes, she did...How did you know that, Hunter?"_

 _Isamu catches Takara's quizzical gaze and explains:_

 _"Takara. Your dreams aren't just dreams. They are Blood Visions."_

 _"Blood Visions?"_

 _The Minister's eyebrows raise at this and decides to test the theory:_

 _"Aw...Of course. My dear, if you would, could you smell the blood written into the canvas?"_

 _"I guess, but I don't understand-"_

 _"Just try it, Takara. Please?"_

 _Astonished by the two men's' enthusiasm, Takara looks between them, and then gives into curiosity._

 _"Well...All right."_

 _She steps closer to the man length portrait and sniffs delicately at the aged dry blood signature._

 _"No. Take a deep breath. Like your preparing for a fight."_

 _"Okay."_

 _She sucks in a slow deep breath through her nose, then slowly lets it out of her mouth, and suddenly becomes very still with her eyes going from violet to blue._

 _"Takara?"_

 _"Miss?"_


	9. Chapter 9

**=Chapter 9-Love Story**

 _Isamu, the Minister, and Satoru try in vain to snap Takara out of the trance she is under, but to no avail._

 _"Oh, great! Nice job, Hunter! You freaking broke her!"_

 _Isamu scowls at the agitated Satoru._

 _"I didn't break her, Fox! She's just in a trance!"_

 _The Minister inserts himself between the two riled males and makes eye contact with Satoru._

 _"The boy is right, Master Satoru. She'll recover herself soon enough. After whatever it is the Queen Mother's blood has to show her has run its course the vision will release its hold on her."_

 _Takara opens her eyes to yet another dreamscape, but she knows this is a vision and wonders where this one will inevitably lead her._  
 _A mountainous countryside with a great black obsidian castle dominating the forest laden landscape and it is surrounded by smaller dwelling structures that she can see humans roaming in and out of beneath the dark shadow of the castle._

 _She instantly knows that she is seeing Yoru, the Land of Night, and immediately coaxes the vision to lead her to the castle._

 _Once inside, the vision blurs through several square rooms until it reaches the large royal throne chamber at the castles center._

 _She is shocked when she finds not only a few VON, Vampires of Night, in the room, but Hisako seated regally upon the black marble throne. Hisako sits upon the royal purple cushions wearing the VON clan colors of purple on the cloak at her back and blue of the sash around her black body suited waist._

 _"Stop gawking and come here, girl!"_

 _Takara is momentarily startled from her observations at Hisako's words , but sighs in relieve when she notes a human female scurrying forward to fall prostrate at the Queen Mother's feet._

 _"Have you learned anything from our enemies as I instructed?"_

 _"Yes, your majesty. The Vampire Hunters have a deep hatred of the Royal Vampires and their treatment of the human cattle. They wish nothing more than to see you all annihilated. Their leader is called, Kenta, and he's the one who has been sending out these men, who call you a Mark, to try and kill you, my mistress."_

 _"I see. Stand."_

 _The girl leaps to her feet like a rabbit out of its burrow and stands rigidly before the smirking Hisako._

 _"Do you still wish to become one of us?"_

 _"Yes, my mistress."_

 _"Then, so shall you be. Give me your wrist."_

 _The girl extends her arm out to Hisako and she in turn brings it to her lips to bite, then drink from the girl. The vision fills Takara's own mouth with the taste of the girl's blood, a milky sweet flavor, and she experiences a deep need to taste it firsthand. Instead she watches Hisako close the girl's wounds with the thin tip of her tongue, then slit and offer up her own wrist to the girl. The girl takes to it like someone starving to death and again Takara experiences what Hisako does as the girl feeds from her. She can feel a mild tingling sensation in her own wrist and the intense pleasure that the girl's feeding from her brings her._

 _"Enough."_

 _The girl immediately releases her grip on Hisako and the Queen Mother calmly closes her own wound like she had the girls._

 _"Now...Go find yourself a safe place to sleep and come tomorrow night you'll be one of us."_

 _The girl smiles happily at Hisako, and then practically skips out of the throne room with the other VON, all male, watching after her._

 _"So it is to be this Kenta that I must hunt down to protect my babies, is it?"_

 _Hisako removes herself from her perch and gracefully heads for the door, but stops just outside of it to turn back to look upon the males silently watching her exit._

 _"Oh, and boys? Do try to be gentle with the girl when she returns. I really don't want to have to replace yet another female, because you can't be bothered to share. Am I clear?"_

 _"Yes! Queen Mother Hisako!"_

 _"Good boys. I'll return to your sides soon. Goodbye, my lovely boys."_

 _"Goodbye, and safe hunting, our queen!"_

 _Hisako turns away from her choir boys with a sensual fanged smile spread across her full lips._

 _The vision goes white, and then clears to once more reveal another dream-like memory to Takara's curious gaze. This time she stands inside of a small cabin with everything necessary for life to go on decorating the interior and finds her eyes immediately drawn to a bed large enough for two in one corner of the expansive room. She notes Hisako's presence first, where she is seated in a small wooden chair by the side of the bed, then sees the barely recognizable Kenta beneath the blankets in the bed._

 _A soft wheezing cough comes from a very old and wizened Kenta and this pulls Hisako up straight in her chair, where she had been resting, to lean over him in concern._

 _"Is there anything you require, my love?"_

 _"No-o. J-just you a-and your beauti-ful face."_

 _Takara inhales a sharp breath at Kenta's very weak voice and at the sudden appearance of a single tear rolling slowly down Hisako's left cheek. She watches as Kenta weakly raises a gnarled hand up to wipe the tear away with his fingers, then tries to smile encouragingly at Hisako, but only ends up grimacing instead._

 _"Please don't cry, my queen."_

 _"I do not wish to, because I know it distresses you, but my foolish heart won't allow me to stop. It aches so much, my Hunter."_

 _"I know, so does my own, but I know I go on to a very special place from here. There will be no tears of sorrow, understand?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Takara weeps quietly to herself as she watches Hisako lean closer to Kenta's wrinkled brow and press a loving kiss there._

 _"I still wish you had allowed me to change you, my only love."_

 _"You know very well-!"_

 _Suddenly, a raging fit of coughing over takes him as he tries to yell at her, then they slowly subside into long wheezing inhales and exhales as he clutches his chest in pain. Hisako had remained still at his side through the whole ordeal, then immediately runs soothing hands through his thin grey hair and down along his face to his neck._

 _"I warned you that one day you're yelling would be the death of you, my love."_

 _"There n-now. A j-joke at my ex-pence. That's b-better."_

 _"Yes, but you won't be, and I really can't stand to be without you, my Hunter."_

 _"Well you will. And you can. You will have to be the one to fix the wrongs we have wrought. You cannot follow me where I go, my love."_

 _"I know."_

 _They remain silent from then on until Takara thinks for sure that Kenta had finally passed, but he suddenly grasps Hisako's wrist as she tries to walk away after his eyes fall closed._

 _"Do you see them?"_

 _"See what, my love?"_

 _"Them. There and there. See?"_

 _His gnarled freehand is pointing up at thin air above their heads one second, then a small cluster of fiery orbs the next._

 _"Aw...The Hitodama have come for you, my Hunter."_

 _The couple watches the ghost spirits with their floating fireball images hovering over them and their short to long tails of flame flickering about in blues, oranges, and reds._

 _"They are whispering to me, Hisako."_

 _Hisako leans closer as Kenta's voice softens to a whisper._

 _"What do they say, Kenta?"_

 _"They want me join them...To become a Hitodama."_

 _Hisako's eyebrows arch in surprise._

 _"Do they say why, my love?"_

 _A soft smile spreads over Kenta's pain pinched lips._

 _"Because they have seen our love and don't wish to see us parted."_

 _A loving smile spreads over Hisako's own lips and she gently kisses Kenta's brow._

 _"I see...And what color would you be, my love?"_

 _Kenta's weary gaze looks up at Hisako and warm a little around the edges._

 _"I would want to be blue. Blue like your eyes, Hisako."_

 _A soft rosy blush colors her cheeks at this beautiful compliment and another soft kiss touches Kenta's brow._

 _"I would wish that you get that one request upon leaving this plane, my handsome Kenta."_

 _A sad, but peaceful look passes over Kenta's elderly features._

 _"They say it's time to go now."_

 _A heavy sigh escapes him, then his hand falls away from Hisako's wrist as she wrenches her arm up to slap a hand over her mouth and a low keening moan escapes her along with her held back tears._

 _"Takara! Takara! Come on, princess. Come back to us. Takara!"_

 _Takara snaps out of the vision to the sight of Isamu's worried expression and the feel of her own tears rolling hastily down her cheeks to drip off her chin._

 _"What did you see? Was it Chie again?"_

 _"No. It was Kenta, or to be more precise, it was Hisako. I was experiencing everything she was, including her overwhelming grief over losing Kenta to his own aged death."_

 _The Minister enters her line of sight and presents her with a very counseling smile that brings a half of one to her own lips._

 _"Hisako has left you a very important memory indeed."_

 _"Two. She left me two memories, Minister. The first was of her reign over the first created clan of the VON."_

 _"Oh, yes. This is where the title Queen Mother comes from. For all vampire, she was and always will be the first of our kind."_

 _Takara suddenly turns to Satoru and grabs him by his shirt._

 _"Satoru. I need you to lead me to Yoru."_

 _Satoru jumps at her action and stares in shock at her demand._

 _"WHAT?!"_

 _Takara ignores Isamu's outburst, along with the Minister's outraged simultaneous question, and keeps her gaze locked onto a now very solemn Satoru._

 _"Are you sure this is what you wish, Takara?"_

 _"NO!"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Satoru's gaze flickers between the enraged Isamu and the calm Takara before he nods his head in acquiescence._

 _"Then we shall depart on the morrow after we all have eaten heartily and rested fully."_

 _Takara briefly hugs Satoru before releasing him with a small smile of thanks._

 _"Thank you."_

 _Satoru briefly smiles back._

 _"Of course."_

 _Isamu suddenly grabs Takara by the arm and all but drags her out into the hall._

 _"Are you mad?"_

 _Takara takes in Isamu's aggressive posture and calmly mimics it._

 _"No. Actually I feel quite sane thank you."_

 _"Funny. Why the hell do you wish to walk into your own cage?"_

 _"Isamu. I -"_

 _"No! You do this, you go onto that kingdom, and I won't be with you, do understand!? That path leads to all of our deaths and I'll not follow you there!"_

 _A startling sinking feeling fills her stomach at this firm statement, but she shakes it off._

 _"Then stay here. You don't need to follow me there."_

 _Isamu gapes at her calm tone even as her eyes beseech him to do the opposite of what she just told him._

 _"Damn it! Don't make me choose!"_

 _Irritation replaces her silent pleading and has her staring at him in equal fury and outrage._

 _"Choose!? Choose what!? What is it that I am forcing you to do, Hunter!?"_

 _She stares him down as he struggles between speaking or reaching for her, then watches him as he throws his hands in the air and storms away from her down the corridor._

 _"Fuck it! You're on your own, princess!"_

 _"Fine!"_

 _She turns back into the room, sees Satoru and the Minister giving her pitying looks, and storms back out to find someplace to be alone for a while as more hot tears scold her cheeks._

 _"C-coward."_


	10. Chapter 10

**=Chapter 10-The Arrival**

 _A mysterious figure in a hooded white robe stands alone inside a narrow canoe that is being steered by unseen hands over the dark misty waters. A floating ball of blue flame hovers over her left shoulder and is the figure's only source of light in the darkness of night._

 _As the canoe touches land, the hitodama floats ahead of the figure as they depart the tiny vessel, and flares up in warning as several shadowy forms leap out from within the Oni Mori to intercept the very still silhouette of the figure._

 _"It's too bad you had that little ghost with you. We would have taken you in the woods, Ancient, if it hadn't warned you of our presence here."_

 _"The Hitodama wasn't my only warning of your presence, warriors. I smelled your Hunter stench, while I was still floating around out there on the waters. You all should really think about changing your diet of milled vampire. I smell the deaths of my kin in your blood."_

 _The Hunters reach for their weapons at the flash of long sharp-tipped fangs from the dark depths of the hood and watch warily as the hitodama floats back to hover just above the figure's head. A gleam of red eyes flares under its glow just before the figure vanishes and the first of the twenty Hunters disappears out of his place in their defensive half-circle._

 _"AAHHH-RGGH!"_

 _The missing man's death cry sends a shiver of fear through his comrades, then a low growl of a hungry beast regains their attention. The man's body makes a sudden reappearance before them, ripped to shreds, and flying over their heads to land in a heap before their horrified faces._

 _The terrified men look to their leader, who was the only one to speak to the Ancient, and all gape in horror to find him in the monster's embrace. The Ancient is holding him from behind and appears to be kissing the leader's neck, but as the creature pulls away a stream of blood streams down from two deep bite wounds._

 _"Mm...I haven't had fresh human blood in so long. It tastes so very, very, good."_

 _They watch as the all but purring Ancient licks up their leader's blood like a hungry cat at a bowl of milk and they finally snap out of their frozen horror to attack the beast._

 _The Ancient drops the drained leader, and then proceeds to take out each of the eighteen remaining men in quick succession._

 _The first to reach the animal gets his head severed off by the extended fingers tipped by dagger sharp claws of the Ancient._

 _"AR-RGHH!"_

 _The second goes down with a snagged neck and the third is disarmed, then skewered by his own katana._

 _The fourth has his fist slammed upwards and his dagger sinks up through his own mouth to stick into his brain._

 _The fifth has his spear snapped in half, then his legs skewered with the broken pieces before his neck is also snapped._

 _The sixth has his garrote used under his left armpit and his arm ripped off._

 _The seventh has his body used as a shield as the Ancient drains him at the jugular, while the shuriken thrower and arrow shooter turn him into a pincushion in order to get at the beast. Then the Ancient abandons the body shield to vanish and reappear between eight, the shuriken thrower, and nine, the arrow shooter. The Ancient takes a step back as they try to take the creature out, but end up hitting each other instead with killing blows._

 _Ten and eleven try to attack the Ancient from behind only to be consumed by the flames of the Hitodama. This tugs a menacing smile across the Ancient's shadowed face just as twelve tries to lop off the beast's legs at the kneecaps, but gets snatched away from his lowered position by his hair. The Ancient takes his broad sword, thrusts it through his gut, and utilizes it through his corpse to penetrate thirteen's diaphragm and fourteens' sternum like a kebab._

 _The Ancient hisses as two throwing stars embed in each of the creature's shoulders, then blurs to fifteen before he can throw a third and makes him eat the weapon as the beast shoves the star down his throat. Then rips the two stars out of its' shoulders to punch them through the hearts of sixteen and seventeen._

 _The eighteenth the Ancient catches as he tries to run away with a single clawed finger sheathed beneath the man's chin and lifts him into the air with its' head tilted back. The Ancient opens its' mouth and greedily guzzles down the last Hunter's blood as it drains forth from him like a leaking beer tab._

 _"Hrmm...Thanks for the feast, boys."_

 _As the Ancient makes to enter the Oni Mori, the beast spots the sixth man, the garrote wielder, bleeding out from his shoulder stump and whimpering in horrified anguish, so goes back over to kneel at his side in mild curiosity._

 _"I will grant you the mercy of a quick death in exchange for an answer to a single question, deal?"_

 _The man whimpers and moans in response and the Ancient nods its' hooded head in understanding._

 _"Good boy. Now...Tell me...Will I find more of you when I reach Yoru?"_

 _The man weakly nods his head in response and whimpers in gratitude as the Ancient leans forward to place a final kiss of death to his throat. Then the Ancient rises up to join the Hitodama floating at the entrance of the Oni Mori and illuminating the crowd of Oni demons bowing in deep respect between the trees. The Ancient returns their gesture with a slight bow of its' own before continuing on into the forest with the Hitodama replaying the battle like flickering cinema reel to the creature in the flames and lingering on the last mercy kill._

 _"I know, but you would have done the same if it had been your choice."_

 _The Hitodama flares up into a flaming white ball, then returns to its' normal blue tone as the Ancient chuckles in response to ghost disgruntlement and soon they are too deep within the dark depths of the woods to be seen._


	11. Chapter 11

**=Chapter 11-Understanding**

 _The Minister, Satoru, and Takara sit at the banquet table together and are eating in stone silence until the Minister suddenly clears his throat in discomfort._

 _"I will happily speak with the young Hunter if it will please you miss?"_

 _Takara scowls, stabs her chicken rather than slice a bite off as she intended to, and tries to calmly look upon the Minister as she lifts her gaze to him._

 _"It won't be necessary. He's clearly made up his mind and I won't make him change it back. Just leave him be."_

 _Satoru gains her attention with a vigorous shaking of his head and stares at him in confusion._

 _"I hate to be the whispering conscious here, Takara, but you will need him in order to get safely through Yoru's realm and gain access to the castle."_

 _"Won't you be with me?"_

 _A pained look falls over Satoru's handsome features._

 _"Unfortunately, no. I am not allowed there, so can never enter. At least, not without my sister."_

 _"I see."_

 _The Minister sees Takara's suddenly downcast expression and immediately seeks to fix the situation._

 _"I will speak to the boy, but first there are some things you need to know before you go to the Land of Night, miss."_

 _Curiosity overcasts her disappointment at what the Minister has to say._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"It is about the rulers of that kingdom. Their king, Daiki, is also our ruler, because he is wed to our queen, Yoko."_

 _Takara sees Satoru's frown, watches as he suddenly stands, and leaves the room, then turns back to the Minister in astonishment._

 _"Wh-What's wrong with him?"_

 _The Minister clears his throat in discomfort, but forges on._

 _"Satoru blames himself for the loss of our queen, but we do not hold him to it, for he truly is not at fault. All responsibility is held against Daiki, sense he was the one to seduce our young queen away from us before she took the throne from her deceased parents. Daiki had a secret relationship with Yoko during a time when the VON and the VOL were at war with each other. Later, after all had calmed, we, the VOL, soon noticed that she was missing. Then suddenly the VON are knocking down our door, so to speak, and Daiki is declaring our kingdom under his rule and that our dear missing queen Yoko is his wife. We were so shocked that we were easily overtaken and have been under his mighty thumb ever since. Every so often he will bring Yoko home, but none of us are allowed to speak with her. The one time someone was fool enough to try, our once sweet queen of light, now the dark queen, slaughtered him for angering her."_

 _Takara stares in shock as she takes all of this in._

 _"My word."_

 _A stern look tightens the Minister's wise features._

 _"I tell you this for your own protection. Do not do anything that will raise the queen's ire and beware the king. For the VON also have a prophecy that states that their reign will end with the arrival of a human warrior from across the Oni Mori and this is the thing he fears the most. He will kill to prevent his own inevitable death and the destruction of his tyrannical reign."_

 _A brief scowl passes over Takara's face at the mention of another prophecy, but loses it to a sigh of resignation._

 _"I understand."_

 _The Minister leans partway over the table and gently touches the back of her hand._

 _"I and all the VOL humbly beseech you to please free and return our queen to us, if you can, dear Takara, will you accept our request?"_

 _She is momentarily stunned by the weight of that responsibility, but bears with a firm nod of assent._

 _"Yes."_

 _"You know, you really try my patience, princess."_

 _She had been so wrapped up in the Minister's words that she hadn't noticed Isamu's presence nor the shadow he now casts over her seated body. She tilts her head back in surprise and stares at his frowning face with a mild smile upon her lips._

 _"You started it."_

 _Isamu scoffs at her:_

 _"Well, I intend to finish it. I'll go with you to Yoru, but this will be the last place we go. After that I intend to return you directly to your people, understood?"_

 _A winning smile spreads across her lips at this clear statement and turns about to eagerly nod at him._

 _"Yes."_

 _The Minister smiles a little at the still partially frowning Isamu and the grinning Takara._

 _"This is truly good news, dear boy, for we have a gift for the protector of our own. Come with me, please."_

 _The suddenly beaming and eager Minister leads Isamu back out of the room, leaving Takara with an amused Satoru standing in the doorway._

 _"What has you smiling like that, Fox?"_

 _Satoru scowls at the fox reference and throws his hands up in air in exasperation._

 _"Goodness sake! He has you speaking his language, damned Hunter! I'm smiling, because I have a feeling of what they're going to give him."_

 _"And what is that?"_

 _A barely leashed sadness passes over the kitsune's face, but his beaming smile remains._

 _"You'll see."_

 _Takara has a sudden instinctual need to hug the fox demon, but refrains out of fear of how he'll take it._

 _"You know. You're very cryptic, Master Kitsune, makes a body wonder what it is that one such as you has to hide."_

 _Satoru fiddles with his hoshi no tama tangling from his neck, and lowers his eyes in sudden consternation._

 _"Actually, I have a secret wish."_

 _Takara's blue eyes light up with genuine interest at this little nugget._

 _"Oh? Tell me, please."_

 _Satoru fidgets with his source of power for a moment before replying:_

 _"Well, I'm actually envious of your companionable behavior with Isamu, when you're not trying to slit each others throats that is, and wish I too will find someone to share my world with someday."_

 _A little frowns mixes in with Takara's amused grin:_

 _"You talk as if there is no one out there for you. Are there not any other kitsune to find companionship with?"_

 _Satoru bows his head and lets the ball of power tangle freely about his neck once more._

 _"No, that is the greatest of tragedies, for I am the last of my kind here on the mainland, and I am disinclined to travel to Kodai just to acquire a mate."_

 _Takara loses her smile and bows her head too._

 _"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Satoru."_

 _A self-indulgent smile draws up the corners of Satoru's lips._

 _"That's of no consequence, sweet Takara, because I know that I can find someone here even if she won't be of my own race."_

 _"I hope so. I would like to meet her when you do. Promise me?"_

 _"Absolutely."_

 _Takara finally gives into her deepest instincts and leaves the table to wrap Satoru in a fierce hug. Over her head, Satoru's face is locked up in shock, then relaxes into a soft happy expression before he returns her hug just as fiercely._

 _Isamu returns to find them like this and experiences a mild sense of amusement at Takara's being swamped by the giant Satoru, then scowls in jealousy at their closeness._

 _"Did I miss something while I was gone?"_

 _The pair breaks apart like they were caught in a vile act with identical looks of discomfort on their faces until Takara notices what Isamu is wearing. Her mouth falls open in an astonished "O" and Satoru starts snickering as Isamu looks like he is ready to hide behind the smiling Minister standing beside him from her reaction._

 _"Is something wrong? Are you displeased with our gift?"_

 _Takara quickly shakes her head to sooth the worried look off the confused Minister's anxious face._

 _"No. In fact, I, myself am extremely pleased. That was Kenta's, yes?"_

 _A delighted smile lights up the Minister's face at Takara's excited question._

 _"That is correct, miss."_

 _Isamu goes rigid at Takara's and the Minister's words, then turns very red in the face in embarrassment._

 _"I was not informed of this. I wouldn't have worn such a precious article of clothing if I had known."_

 _"Don't be silly. You look very handsome in it."_

 _Isamu blinks as Takara comes to stand before him and runs an inquistive hand over the white leather camouflaged bodysuit._

 _"It's still supple. How did you keep it from drying out from wear?"_

 _The Minister gives Takara a sneaky grin before replying:_

 _"We have our ways, miss."_

 _Takara chuckles at the Minister's mysterious tone, then goes back to examining the leather._

 _"Well, whatever it is you're doing, keep it up. It still feels like new even though I know for a fact that it is indeed very old."_

 _Isamu suddenly snatches her pawing hand off of his chest with his thumb pressed to her palm and his fingers gently gripping her knuckles._

 _"Wh-"_

 _"Sorry, but your touch..."_

 _She flushes in understanding at his blushing expression and bows her head in contrition._

 _"Oh, sorry."_

 _"No, never that, princess."_

 _She blinks in confusion until he brings her captured hand to his lips and kisses the back of it like a gentlemen who has just been introduced to a lady. She swallows nervously at the action and immediately turns back to the Minister._

 _"Um, Minister, we thank you very much for your hospitality and-"_

 _The bemused Minister quickly cuts her off with a raised hand._

 _"You do not need to thank us, miss, it was my greatest pleasure to serve you all. Now, if it pleases you, we have prepared you all sleeping quarters for the night and I would happily take you to them, if you're ready."_

 _Isamu has a sudden mischievous grin cross his lips before leaning down to whisper in Takara's ear._

 _"I know I am. I could use a good nights sleep before heading back out in the morning, how about you, Takara?"_

 _"Y-yes."_

 _Her squeaked response, plus her sudden removal of her hand from Isamu's grasp, then the instant stroll out of the door ahead of them all has Isamu chuckling in amusement and the other two men staring after her in surprise._


	12. Chapter 12

**=Chapter 12-Back Into The Woods**

 _Satoru is waiting at the entrance of the demon forest as Isamu, a trailing Takara, and the Minister walk towards him, while exchanging final farewells._

 _"I know that you said that we don't need to thank you, but I must insist that you accept our greatest gratitude, please."_

 _The Minister gives Takara a warm smile._

 _"As you will, miss, and I'll thank you all for your visit as well."_

 _Takara smiles winningly back at him._

 _"You're welcome."_

 _"You will return again, yes?"_

 _"Of course. I have to return your queen to you, remember?"_

 _The Minister smiles at her pleasing declaration and leans in close to whisper in her ear._

 _"It is most imperative that you do, miss, for I have been fighting daily to keep her people from abandoning her to seek out seclusion on Kodai."_

 _Takara rears back to stare at him in surprise, then nods her head vigorously._

 _"Then I shall hurry quick as I can."_

 _The Minister gently cups Takara's shoulder in farewell._

 _"Thank you, and safe keeping, miss."_

 _"And to you, goodbye, Minister."_

 _"Goodbye."_

 _She compulsively hugs the Day walker, then runs to catch up with the others, leaving the Minister beaming after her, and not even trying to conceal the tears rolling down his blushing cheeks._

 _"Good luck, my lady."_

 _They are only a few hours into the trek when Takara suddenly trances out and forces the men to back track for her when they notice that they have left her behind._

 _"Damn it! What now?"_

 _Isamu storms up to the blind eyed Takara and waves a hand in her face._

 _"Calm down, boy. She'll be fine. Just get her walking or carry her. We have to keep going and get away from here."_

 _Isamu turns away from the unresponsive Takara to stare at Satoru in question._

 _"Why?"_

 _Satoru sighs in exasperation before explaining:_

 _"The Oni in these parts are far more violent and hungry, because the VON never let their human cattle roam into the woods in search for food. They get it for them and leave the Oni with nothing to feed off of but the livestock."_

 _Isamu looks from the teetering, tranced out Takara to glares in disgruntlement at the restless Satoru._

 _"That would have been good to know before now, Satoru."_

 _Satoru throws his hands up in agitation._

 _"I didn't exactly expect to have to explain this sense you both are more than capable of defending yourselves, but with her going out on us right now, it suddenly became extremely relevant! Sorry!"_

 _Isamu sniffs at Satoru's exasperated expression and turns back to Takara as she teeters into him._

 _"Takara? Hey, princess. You need to walk for me, okay?"_

 _She mumbles something incoherent that sounds a little like she is lost, then takes a shuffling step forward and another until she is walking. Isamu holds onto her upper left arm to keep her from falling over as she stumbles over a hidden stone in the ground and looks worriedly at Satoru._

 _"That's gong to really slow us down. You'll just have to carry her."_

 _Isamu grunts in agreement, then looks the kitsune over before tugging Takara closer._

 _"Very well, but the minute there's danger. I expect you to guard over her, do you hear me?"_

 _Satoru nods impatiently at the hunter._

 _"Of course."_

 _"You flake on me, Fox, and I'll kill you, clear?"_

 _"Crystal."_

 _They eye each other in agitation for a few seconds, then Isamu pulls Takara onto his back and positions her so that she's piggy backing him._

 _"Lets move then."_

 _"Right."_

 _The two men continue their trek, while Takara rides on Isamu's back mumbling to herself._

 _"What are you seeing now, princess?"_

 _Takara opens her dreaming eyes to complete and utter darkness that has her wondering why?_

 _"Hello, little one."_

 _Takara mental jumps at the sudden sound of an unknown voice._

 _"What? Who is there?"_

 _"An enemy, a friend, a lover, a wife, a queen, a mother, a grandmother...I have been many titles and even fewer names, but you need not fear me, my child."_

 _Takara tries to peer through the darkness so she can catch a glimpse of this stranger, but she is unable to see even a flicker of light in this dream._

 _"Why is it so dark?"_

 _"Because you are blind. Blind to all that belongs to you. And I am here to guide you to the light, treasured one."_

 _Takara gives up searching the darkness for the stranger and lets her curiosity take over instead._

 _"Treasure? I've heard this before in a prophecy. What does it mean?"_

 _"The sun and moon. The nightfall and daylight. Treasure. Savior. Protector. Descendant. These are all your names, little one."_

 _Takara mentally rears back in shock._

 _"What!? My names!? No way! Why have you brought me here!?"_

 _She tries again to peer through the darkness to catch a glimpse of the disembodied voice._

 _"To awaken you to the truth and to correct a wrong."_

 _Confusion cloaks her mind at this statement._

 _"A wrong. That sounds like...Hisako?"_

 _"Yes, child."_

 _A thrill of excitement goes through her mind before immediately being discarded for more confusion._

 _"Why do hide yourself from me?"_

 _"I am not hiding, dear. I am merely waiting for you to open your eyes."_

 _Takara looks about the darkness in as her confusion intensifies._

 _"But they are open."_

 _"No, dear, they are not. Come. There is something you need to find."_

 _Takara mentally throws her hands up in exasperation._

 _"How can I find something I can not see?"_

 _"Patience!...Forgive me. We don't have much time and your question will have to wait, my child."_

 _She was momentarily taken aback by Hisako's aggrieved tone, but let it rest at her apology._

 _"Very well. I shall wait. Lead me where you may, please."_

 _"It's over here. Come."_

 _A gentle hand cups her under her elbow and guides her through the darkness until a pinpoint of light opens up before her dreaming eyes._

 _"What is that?"_

 _"A secret needing to be revealed. Go and see what it is, child."_

 _Hesitant to wander into the unknown, Takara reluctantly makes her way slowly towards the light until it eclipses into a giant doorway. She steps out into broad daylight and back into the Oni Mori, causing her to look about in renewed confusion. Then she sees the last thing she expects, a whole and healthy Chie in her youth, and carrying a small squirming bundle in her arms. Tears immediately well up in her eyes at the sight and a sudden wish to hug the much younger Protector nearly overwhelms her._

 _"Yes, she was indeed a very good woman. Weep not, child, she is in a much lovelier place now."_

 _Takara sniffs as her grief spills over into tears of anguish._

 _"I just wish I had, had more time with her before the end."_

 _"We all wish this of the deceased, but it inevitably can not be, so we merely send them our thoughts and continue on the best we can. Like now. Follow her, child. There's more to this vision that you need see."_

 _Takara follows Chie as she skulks amongst the trees, while gently rocking the bundle in her arms. As Takara draws closer to the Protector and her tiny burden, she begins to hear the soft mewling sounds of a hungry infant._

 _"I know, little one. I'll find us something soon. I promise."_

 _Chie softly shushes the baby, then shifts her to one curled arm before drawing her infamous curved bladed sword in her free hand. Up ahead of them, in a small clearing between the trees, there is a large monstrous Oni crouched over the corpse of an equally large buck with its once full and magnificent antlers broken to bits on the ground around them. The Oni is gorging itself upon the buck and looks like he fought very hard to gain his meal, because there are several bloody, oozing wounds all over him._

 _"Sorry, friend, but I need your kill."_

 _Chie moves in on the beast and purposely makes a branch on the ground crack under foot to bring the Oni spinning up and around to face her. She doesn't even hesitate. She thrusts her sword right into the surprised Oni's heart and backs off to free her blade from him before walking around his slowly collapsing body to kneel by the bloodied deer._

 _"Okay, precious. Lets get a piece of this big guy, shall we?"_

 _The baby whimpers, waving its arms around fitfully, then Chie slices a small piece of the deer's chest muscle off and slowly lowers the rare bleeding meat to the infant's mewling mouth. The child latches onto it with it's strong gums, then suckles fiercely of the iron rich nutrients streaming down the muscly flesh of the dangling meat._

 _"Oh, good. Your VOL blood is stronger than your VON blood. That means you'll be easier to hide. That's it, little treasure, drink all you can. We still have a long way before we're home."_

 _Takara gapes at the word "treasure" and immediately moves closer to get a better look at the infant in Chie's arms. She gasps as she sees her very own violet eyes half closed in satisfaction, while her baby self is feeding from the deer meat._

 _"She never found me. She knew me the whole time, but why didn't she ever tell me?"_

 _"She couldn't. She had to protect you from those who would have otherwise killed you out of hand without even a single second thought."_

 _Takara's increasing confusion causes her to mentally clench her fist in agitation._

 _"She said, VOL and VON blood. What does that mean about me?"_

 _"You are both and more, child."_

 _Anger overshadows her confusion and causes her to lash out at the voice of the Queen Mother._

 _"What does that mean!?"_

 _Suddenly, everything goes dark again and a soft tsking sound echoes around her._

 _"You'll never make progress this way, dear."_

 _Isamu stops at Takara's half screamed mutter and glances worriedly over his shoulder at her still tranced out expression._

 _"I really don't like this. She's been out for too long."_

 _Satoru doesn't even pause in his trekking at Isamu's concerned tone and continues on as he responds with a nonplussed tone of his own._

 _"She'll be fine. Keep moving, Hunter."_

 _Isamu watches Satoru disappear around a bend of trees and looks back at Takara again in genuine concern._

 _"Damn it. Takara, please come back soon. Takara? Please?"_

 _Takara plops down in the darkness with a deep scowl reflected from her fangs being barred._

 _"Takara? Please?"_

 _Her head whips around and she looks about for the source of the phantom voice, but doesn't find him._

 _"Isamu?"_

 _"Your man is a very persistant person. He has been calling to you every so often since you came here."_

 _Takara mentally gapes at Hisako's firm suggestion that Isamu is her man and experiences a slightly possessive thrill at the thought._

 _"He isn't my man."_

 _"Isn't he now?"_

 _A soft chuckle follows that question and makes Takara grit her teeth in frustration._

 _"I need to get out of here. They are going to need me soon and I can't be here when they do, okay?"_

 _"Oh, dear one. They are both big strong boys. They can handle any trouble on their own."_

 _Takara growls and mentally smacks a palm to her forehead in frustration._

 _"Have you always been this darned aggravating, Hisako?"_

 _Laughter is her only answer before another doorway of light is opened before her and she finds herself outside again._

 _"Oh, goodie. Another vision."_

 _"Takara. I'll only say this once...Hush."_

 _A mentally raised eyebrow lifts at Hisako's threatening tone._

 _"Are you threatening me?"_

 _"Takara."_

 _A low growl of frustration escapes her before she can prevent it, then sighs in exasperation when she hears Hisako growl menacingly back at her._

 _"Fine! Okay! Lets go then!"_

 _She marches off into the woods aimlessly and wonders how the guys are doing without her._

 _Isamu looks about him as he realizes that Satoru has completely disappeared out of sight, leaving the hunter with a still tranced out Takara and a growing tension in his muscles the farther he goes without catching up with the missing kitsune._

 _"I know that Fox didn't just do what I think he did."_

 _"If you mean, leaving you alone, and completely defenseless, then yes."_


	13. Chapter 13

**=Chapter 13-The Land Of Night**

 _Isamu scowls, then slowly turns about to see that he is surrounded on all sides by black robed vampires with blue scarves and purple sashes._

 _"VON?...Well, that's just great...Bloody Fox."_

 _The leader of the group detaches himself from them and grins as Isamu squeezes Takara's thighs in preparation of a fight._

 _"It's a pity the kitsune isn't well known for his selflessness. Then you would have someone besides that unconscious woman draped against your back to defend you against us."_

 _Isamu smirks and eases his grip on Takara's thighs._

 _"I am more than capable of handling myself, friend. As to the Fox. I'll just have to kill him the next time I see him. After I take care of all of you."_

 _Takara has been trekking the woods of the vision for a short while when she suddenly finds herself falling roughly onto her backside._

 _"OW! What the hell!?"_

 _"Hm...Looks like your corporeal form has taken a little spill."_

 _Takara slowly gets to her feet and glares back into the darkness that has been following her around with Hisako's voice inside._

 _"What's that suppose to mean!?"_

 _"Nothing you need to be concerned with, dear. Come. There is more you need to see."_

 _Takara grumbles nonsensically, then follows after the trailing darkness as it mist through the woods ahead of her._

 _Isamu draws his sword and takes one last glance at Takara where she sits up against a tree trunk, then looks back at the VON vampires with a fierce gleam in his eyes. The ten VON before him look amongst themselves in amusement, then their leader steps closer to take Isamu up on his challenging gaze._

 _"All right, human. Lets see what you've got."_

 _Isamu chuckles at the VON leader's arrogance, then feints, spins, dodges the vampires thrust, spins again, and cuts off the VON leader's hand as he tries to catch Isamu from the side as he comes out of the second spin._

 _"ARGH!"_

 _Isamu bares his teeth in a challenging grin and raises his sword up as he retakes his fighting stance before the VON._

 _"I'm not just a human, Vamp. I'm a Hunter."_

 _The VON leader glares at Isamu, then waves the now furious group of vampires at the Hunter._

 _"Get him!"_

 _Takara's head whips up in alarm as she hears a pain filled scream, then an enraged growl echo through the vision._

 _"Hisako? You have to get me out of here. Now!"_

 _"Soon, dear. We're nearly there."_

 _Takara's heart races violently as she hears battle cries and the sounds of fighting._

 _"Where!?"_

 _"Now, what is it that I told you earlier, child?"_

 _Takara clenches her fists in frustration and mentally shoots the darkness an anxious look._

 _"AH! I don't have time for this!"_

 _The darkness abruptly stops and causes Takara to stumble to a halt off to the side of it in frustrated confusion._

 _"I see...I'll just have to take over from here, dear."_

 _"What!?"_

 _The darkness walks inside of Takara and causes a shiver to run down her spine as a chilling presence eclipses her own. Soon her own consciousness is completely overwhelmed and taken over by Hisako's._

 _Isamu shifts, then spins away, ducks, and slices off another hand as the nine other VON vampires try to gang up on him._

 _"ARGH!"_

 _The VON vampires don't even acknowledge their second comrade's lost hand, like their leader's, and charge the Hunter. They are soon able to overwhelm Isamu and disarm him, then end up in a full on fist fight with the Hunter. That fight eventually ends with two bloody nosed vampires, one black eyed, and one total knock out as they are finally able to tie Isamu up with their sashes as their prisoner._

 _"Damned Hunter. You'll pay for what you have done and I hope it's a punishment that leaves you alive long enough to see the girl's inevitable fate!"_

 _The leader smugly goes over to stand by Takara's slumped body and slowly reaches for her, while Isamu helplessly watches in the arms of four VON vampires._

 _"NO! TAKARA! WAKE UP!"_

 _The VON leader rears back when Takara's body suddenly leaps to its feet and looks at the tied up Hunter, while still tranced out._

 _"No need to shout, dear boy. She is here, but she can't return to this plane just yet."_

 _Isamu gapes at the voice coming out of Takara and shakes his head in shock as her lips form a smile for him._

 _"Who are you? Why do you possess Takara, Spirit?"_

 _The voice chuckles, then smiles with Takara's lips._

 _"Children...So impatient...And always asking questions."_

 _The VON leader scowls and growls at her._

 _"Forgive me, but the girl is our prisoner along with this boy."_

 _Takara's vacant gaze looks at the VON leader with a little frown of disgruntlement._

 _"I am aware of that, my boy. I follow willingly on request that you take me directly to your king. No detours, or I'll be forced to fight you and you don't want me to do that with this body."_

 _The VON leader smirks like he has just heard something funny._

 _"Why is that?"_

 _Isamu watches as Takara's possessed body leans close to the smug VON leader and hisses at him with dripping fangs that sends the vampire rearing back in agitation._

 _"Her bite is very lethal to your kind. If you wish to die...By all means, ignore my request, and face the consequences."_

 _The VON leader swallows convulsively in fear and takes a couple steps back away from Takara's spirit bound form._

 _"Very well. You shall have your audience, Spirit."_

 _Takara's possessed body relaxes and nods her head in acknowledgement._

 _"Thank you. You're a good boy. Now...Shall we?"_

 _The eight VON who still have their hands take up Isamu's trussed up body as he stares at Takara in disbelief and the twoVON with one missing hand walk along either-side of her as they all make their way to the obsidian castle of Yoru._

 **Yoru-The Land of Night**

 _Yoru is a mountainous countryside with a great black obsidian castle dominating most of the landscape and it is surrounded by smaller dwellings that the human slaves of this land live in that the VON often feed off of like cattle without ever "turning" them. The VON are the original vampire convenant that is constantly at war with the Hunters and despise the VOL, who are their hybrid cousins. Their clan colors match their dark personas in black with blue or purple miscellaneous articles of clothing._

 _The ten VON vampires keep their word and take them straight to the king in his throne room. Isamu looks about upon entrance with a deep frown on his face at the sights around him. There are a few VON in the throne room seated in chairs ringing the half-moon shaped stone grey room and kneeling by each of their sides are barely clad females with iron collars around their necks with chains leading up to each VON's hand. His gaze is pulled away from this disturbing sight by Takara's host making a sound of disgust._

 _"Disgraceful. It is way past time for a mother to begin remembering and a child to discover the truth. All of this must end."_

 _The crowned king of vampire sits upon his obsidian throne with a bemused smile on his lips._

 _"Who is this creature? And what is this nonsense she is babbling about?"_

 _All eyes lock onto the VON king as he descends from the very throne that Hisako had once sat upon in one of Takara's previous visions and comes closer to examine the girl just as she snaps out of her trance._

 _Takara opens her reclaimed eyes to see the VON king wearing a black short-sleeves shirt, slacks, and slim leather boots with a dark purple robe draped loosely over his shoulders and dark blue leather wristbands. He has short, curly black hair, high pointed ears, a narrow chin, an aristocratic nose, and dark brown skinned slender muscled body._

 _Then he is suddenly lowering his inquisitive face closer to her own and that's when she notes that he, too, has violet eyes. She finds herself immediately flustered and unsure of where she is, so she says the first thing that comes to her mind._

 _"Who are you?"_

 _"I am the VON king. Daiki. And you are?"_

 _"I'm..."_

 _She trails off as she suddenly sees Isamu out of the corner of her eye and being held prisoner by a group of VON soldiers._

 _"Isamu?"_

 _The Hunter shoots her a look of surprise at the sound of her voice and starts to struggle in his capturer's grasps._

 _"Takara! Are you finally awake?"_

 _She nods and holds up a restraining hand to calm his struggles as Daiki eyes him with a murderous look._

 _"Yes...It appears that she is, boy...And just in time to see you off."_

 _Takara's head whips back around to look at the VON king in shock._

 _"What!? NO!"_

 _Daiki bares his fangs at her._

 _"The boy is clearly a Hunter...Sense he is not only wearing a bodysuit, but has come into my kingdom with two of my men's hands missing. He is to receive punishment for this blatant disrespect and you, my dear, will become my slave."_

 _"RO-WHAT!? NO! TAKARA!"_

 _Isamu fights hard to free himself from the guards hold as they drag him away and Takara makes to run to his aid._

 _"ISAMU!"_

 _Daiki captures her in his steel embrace as Isamu is taken away struggling for all he is worth and the VON king continues to restrain her as she struggles against him to go after the Hunter._

 _Then all goes quiet as a woman suddenly appears in the doorway of the throne room just as Isamu is dragged out of sight yelling Takara's name. The woman takes one look at Takara in Daiki's arms and screams in sheer outrage. Takara is immediately released, then left alone to watch the enraged woman storming towards her._

 _The woman is wearing a white long-sleeves shirt, a long ankle length yellow skirt, a dark orange sash around her waist, and her bare hands and feet are tipped by dagger-like claws. She has waist long white blonde hair, green eyes, slightly pointed ears, a heart-shaped face with a slender button nose, and creamy pale brown skin gracing a softly curved hourglass figure._

 _"He's mine, wench!"_

 _This loud declaration and her apparel are the only things that clues Takara in to the fact that this woman is the missing VOL queen and a second after that the Minister's warning about never angering the queen sails through her mind._

 _"Oh, crap."_


	14. Chapter 14

**=Chapter 14-Hidden Truths**

 _Takara looks behind her at Daiki and sees that he has re-seated himself upon his throne with a smug smile on his lips. Then she whips back in mild terror to see that the VOL queen is almost upon her and cries out her name to stop her._

 _"Yoko! Stop!"_

 _The VOL queen shrieks in outrage once more._

 _"You dare speak my name after touching my king!? Vile creature! DIE!"_

 _The VOL queen charges at a shocked Takara and screams when the girl dodges her attack._

 _"Please. I don't wish to fight you, your majesty."_

 _She ducks as Yoko swings around to try and catch her with a clawed backhand, then dances back out of reach as Yoko tries to snatch her up by her hair._

 _"Yoko, please! The people of Hikaru, your people, the VOL, sent me here to bring you home."_

 _"My home is with my king! Daiki is mine!"_

 _Yoko tries to tackle the fleet-footed Takara, but only ends up sprawled across the red velvet carpeted stone floor. She rolls to glare up at Takara and suddenly she understands why the queen can not hear her._

 _"Your eyes are closed. Just like mine."_

 _Takara meets Yoko's infuriated gaze as what Hisako has been trying to tell her finally clicks in her mind._

 _"My eyes are open! And I will see you dead by my hands!"_

 _Takara uses Yoko's own momentum against her as she flashes off the floor to fly at her and whips her back to the floor onto both of their knees. Then quickly sinks her fangs into the flailing queen's neck, rendering her motionless with her bite, and takes some of her blood into her mouth. As soon as Yoko's softly spiced blood hits Takara's tongue, she is ripped back into another trance, and is overwhelmed by this newest vision._

 _Takara finds herself in an unknown area outside of a cabin that reminds her of the one Hisako and Kenta had been in, in a previous vision. She instinctively knows that what she seeks is inside and runs straight through the door to see what is inside. She pulls short in surprise as she spots a slightly younger Daiki hovering by the door, a younger Chie crouched at the foot of a bed, and a much kinder looking Yoko sprawled in the bed with her legs splayed open to Chie's gaze._

 _"Hurry, Chie. We can't be here when they come for us."_

 _Daiki paces before the door and is running his hands repeatedly through his already mussed hair. Chie shoots him a withering look._

 _"This kind of thing can't exactly be rushed, young prince."_

 _Yoko suddenly arches painfully off the bed and lets loose a ear piercing scream._

 _"AH!...Please, little one...Come join us now."_

 _Takara cringes in sympathy as the former princess Yoko grits her teeth and screams out as she tries to bare the infant from her obviously swollen belly._

 _"That's it, Princess Yoko. I can see her head! Give us another strong push."_

 _Daiki takes a step toward them in his agitation, but stops as Chie's free hand raises up to stopping gesture to him._

 _"Hurry!"_

 _Chie rejoins her free hand with her other and scowls at Daiki's impatience._

 _"Hush! The babe will come when she's ready, boy!"_

 _Daiki growls and stomps his foot like a petulant child._

 _"I'm hardly a boy sense I am half a decade older than you, Protector!"_

 _Tears of agony spill from the corners of Yoko's eyes as she turns a fierce scowl of her own on her mate._

 _"AH! Daiki! SHUT UP!...AR-RGH!"_

 _Takara watches as Daiki goes instantly still as Chie suddenly reaches under the shielding blanket, between Yoko's legs, and comes back out with a tiny infant girl in her arms. She quickly puts her mouth over the child's nose and mouth to suck out the fluids impeding the infant's ability to breath, and spits it out onto the floor just as the baby inhales to unleash a mighty bellowing cry._

 _"Daiki. You have to cut the child's cord. Hurry now."_

 _He instantly goes to Chie's side, takes the hysterically crying girl child into his arms, and bites the cord clean in half, and then quickly ties up the end still attached to her belly. In the meantime, Yoko has pushed free the afterbirth, eaten it, then ripped the sheets from the bed in the nude, taken them to the burning fireplace, and thrown them inside before quickly dressing herself._

 _"Yoko? The child's name? Quickly."_

 _Yoko looks away from the incinerating sheets with a weak smile spread across her lips._

 _"Takara."_

 _Chie stares at the princess in wonder, then at Daiki, who nods his consent, and back at the teary eyed Yoko._

 _"Treasure? Are you sure?"_

 _More tears cascade down Yoko's flushed cheeks as she nods._

 _"Yes. She is Daiki and my own greatest treasure and we are leaving her in your protection until the day she can be safely returned to us."_

 _Chie swallows heavily to combat her own tears and gives a stiff nod back._

 _"Very well then. Good luck, your highness-es."_

 _Yoko smiles beyond her pain at the fierce protector._

 _"And to you, my dear Protector."_

 _Daiki turns to Yoko so she can kiss their child upon the brow, does the same, and reluctantly hands the now silent infant back into Chie's arms. She wraps the infant in a clean sheet, then nods to both solemn faced parents and quickly leaves the cabin with the baby cradled tenderly against her. Takara is astonished to realize that she had just witnessed her own birth and the two people that Chie just left behind were her parents._

 _"Daiki is my father? Yoko is my mother?...Oh my..."_

 _The second vision follows directly after the first and shows Takara a stately bedroom of the royal house of the VON clan. The colors are represented by the black silk sheets on the bed, the purple velvet of the bed curtains and the cushions of the ivory chairs before the two vanities, and the blue of the night robes lying over the ivory foot bench set at the end of the bed. The only living thing that Takara immediately spots is a black cat curled on top of the robes, then she catches movement in the bed and slowly moves closer to investigate. She smiles as she sees Yoko asleep beneath the sheets, then frowns as she notices the same hardened lines on her beautiful face as she had just seen in the throne room._

 _"What happened to you from my birth until now that changed you into this...Mother?"_

 _Takara flinches as the door to the room opens, then relaxes as she sees Daiki enter and close the door quietly behind him._

 _"Mm...Daiki? Is that you?"_

 _Yoko's sleepy gaze looks upon the VON king with heartwarming love and he smiles at her._

 _"Yes, my love. It's me. Are you feeling any better sense earlier this day?"_

 _A slow nod, then she reaches out her arms to him for comfort._

 _"A little. I still don't understand why I feel so much grief."_

 _He immediately moves to the side of the bed, sits at her side, and lays his head upon her chest while her hands play through his hair._

 _"Neither do I, love."_

 _He nuzzles her breast and she sighs._

 _"I feel like I'm close to remembering something, but each time I get near the feeling it keeps eluding me for some reason."_

 _He grows still, slowly lifts his head up to meet her quizzical gaze, and smiles a little to reassure her._

 _"Hm? I wonder what that's about? Do you mind if I see for myself? I might be able to find the answer for you."_

 _Yoko nods her head and smiles back._

 _"Yes, please. It is driving me to madness with its constant fluttering about in my thoughts."_

 _Yoko sits up, Daiki moves with her, and he gently cups her face in his hands._

 _"Close your eyes and think about that feeling, my love."_

 _"Okay."_

 _Takara moves even closer in puzzlement and somehow knows she is about to witness something really important. She watches Yoko close her eyes, then her face slowly relaxes beneath Daiki's hands, and blinks in wonder as a soft white glow emits from between Yoko's cheeks and Daiki's hands._

 _"There is no need for you to continue to grief someone you no longer remember, my queen. Forget it and awaken as if nothing new has occurred."_

 _He drops his hands away from Yoko's face and she awakens with a delighted smile on her lips._

 _"Good evening, my king."_

 _"Good evening, my queen."_

 _Takara gapes at Yoko in complete shock as she kisses Daiki in greeting, then abandons the bed in the nude to disappear into the bathing room._

 _"No need for us both to carry the burden of grief for Chie's death. She has done her duty by us and that is all. I will not have my reign disrupted by bad memories."_

 _Takara glares at her father as he lays back comfortable amongst the pillows and knows exactly what he has just done._

 _"He has been erasing her memories this whole time!"_

 _Takara pulls away from Yoko's throat on a gasp of outrage, gently lays the unconscious queen upon the floor, stands, turns, and looks directly into Daiki's identically angry violet gaze with her own._

 _"What have you done to my queen!?"_

 _Takara's sniffs at Daiki's concern for her mother._

 _"Nothing. I have not harmed her, nor would I sense she is, after all, my mother."_

 _The VON vampires in the room inhale in surprise and look to their king in shock._

 _"What nonsense is this!?"_

 _Takara raises herself up in her new found royalty and stares her father down as he slowly straightens out of his throne in outrage._

 _"Don't you remember me? You should...You were the one who sired me, Father."_

 _Daiki pauses in mid-stride toward her with a severe frown pursing his lips as his nostrils flare to inhale her scent._

 _"I think I would recall fathering a half-ling human vampire."_

 _Takara chuckles in resentment at his sickened tone._

 _"You normally would, but you have had so many years to work at keeping me hidden that you don't even remember having a daughter. I wonder why? Who were you trying to protect me from?"_

 _Daiki shakes his head and growls._

 _"If I had, had a child like you, as you say, I would have destroyed her with my own hands rather than see her devoured by the ones who ruled this kingdom before me."_

 _Takara is momentarily relieved of her anger by this revelation and finally all the pieces fall into place in her mind as she loses all her metaphoric blindness._

 _"Oh, I see. I understand now, Father. You have had to lie and cover up for so long that you have come to believe your own falsely created stories. That's why you can't remember, but you're also afraid. I have heard about the VON prophecy. How a human warrior will come and put an end to your reign. Do you think it is the Hunter, Isamu, who threatens your kingdom, Father?"_

 _Daiki stares at her in bafflement as he takes in her regal stance and wonders who this girl, who calls him father, really is as she stares him down with so much insolence._

 _"Yes. That is why I had the Hunter imprisoned and I'll be the one to give him the killing blow after my men are through punishing him for his offenses."_

 _Takara loses her bravado at these sneered words from the infuriated VON king._

 _"What!?"_

 _Daiki takes advantage of her sudden distress with a sinister smile on his lips._

 _"Oh? Didn't you know? As soon as they took him from this room and down to the dungeon his punishment began. I bet even now that he is screaming out for mercy and I intend to give it to him. After I have dealt with you and your insolent tongue, half-ling whelp!"_


	15. Chapter 15

**=Chapter 15-Traitor**

 _As soon as the VON were fool enough to untie the enraged Isamu in his cell, he explodes free of them, and begins to fight them with his bare hands until they again beat him into submission. They leave him unconscious on the floor until he reawakens in a state of panic fifteen minutes later._

 _Then he is on his feet in an instant, raging against the steel bars of his cell, roaring in outrage when he remembers Satoru's abandonment at the border of Yoru, and leaving them alone to face their fates. He goes on like this for a good while, then he finally leans his brow between the bars and weeps in silent humiliated anger._

 _"Sh...You don't want those VON soldiers to hear you doing that. They'll come and finish you off for sure then."_

 _Isamu's head whips up at the sound of Satoru's voice, he sees how close he is to the cage, and immediately snatches the kitsune's by the neck to him through the bars in a strangle hold._

 _"Traitor! You left us to die out there!"_

 _Satoru chokes and sputters:_

 _"N-n-no I-I d-didn't."_

 _Isamu's bruised and bloody features pinch tightly in his rage at the kitsune._

 _"Yes, you did! You selfish bastard!"_

 _"D-damn i-it, I-Isamu!"_

 _Satoru grabs Isamu's thumbs and pulls them back roughly to free himself, then backs off quickly with a choking cough, while rubbing at his sore throat._

 _"ARGH!...Then where did you go!?"_

 _Satoru finally manages to take a deep inhalation through his bruised throat and glares at Isamu in disgruntlement._

 _"I went to meet someone who wishes to help Takara. We were delayed by a bunch of your Hunter buddies! That someone is here now! And if you're ready, you can come with me to see for yourself!"_

 _The rage transforms into angry eagerness as Isamu backs away from the steel door._

 _"Get me out. Now!"_

 _"Okay!...Geez..."_

 _Satoru waves his hand over the lock to the cell, it flares up red hot from his power, and pops open with a heavy clink. He disappears again as Isamu slams his way out of the door, then chases after the dust trail Satoru leaves behind down the narrow cell block corridor. He turns the corner towards a stairwell, but ducks back as he spots two VON soldiers at the top of the stairs. Then he hears a grunt, a shout, and after that complete silence. Curious, he peers back around the corner and blinks in surprise as he sees both VON soldiers knocked out._

 _"Hurry up, Hunter! They'll wake up sooner than you think."_

 _Isamu scowls at the disembodied voice, rounds the corner, sprints up the stairs, bounds over the slumped together guards, and runs up another flight of stairs before spotting a door leading out of the dungeon prison to the right. The door opens before his eyes, but before he could get defensive, he sees the kitsune's grin floating in mid-air on the other-side. Thanks to Satoru's invisible assistance, Isamu was able to make it this far without hindrance, so he abandons his anger at the kitsune like the Oni Mori outside these castle walls._

 _"All right, Fox. I understand. You are forgiven."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _The grin vanishes as Isamu steps through the doorway into a boxed in "V" with two corridors leading off somewhere._

 _"Go left. It'll take you to the armory, where they put your sword."_

 _Isamu nods, then skulks quickly down the left corridor until he reaches a large open doorway and peers around the edge to check for any VON soldiers. Seeing no one in the huge room, he slips inside, looks about, and is momentarily held up by the sight of several weapons that belong to Hunters lining the walls._

 _"Damned vamps."_

 _He looks around some more until he spots his sword laid out on a bench at the back of the room, runs forward, snatches it up, spins, and sprints back to the doorway._

 _"Heads up!"_

 _Isamu ducks as a VON solider suddenly sails through the doorway over the top of him and lands head first behind him unconscious._

 _"That guy was waiting for you. These guys are smart, but not clever."_

 _Isamu grins at the downed VON and turns back to the doorway where Satoru is in full view._

 _"All right, Fox. Where to next?"_

 _Satoru grins and waves his hand back the way they came._

 _"Back to the V. Take the right corridor this time. Go up another two levels, left, and straight down until you reach the throne room."_

 _Isamu quickly catches hold of Satoru's hand before he can disappear again and gives it a firm squeeze._

 _"Thank you, Fox."_

 _Satoru looks down at their gripping hands and smirks before disappearing completely again._

 _"Of course. See you there, Hunter."_

 _Another dust trail appears as Satoru leaves Isamu behind, then the Hunter is quickly strapping on his katana, drawing it, and racing back to the intersecting corridors. He whips down the right corridor with his sword raised and thrusts his blade deep into one of the VON soldiers waiting there for him, rips it clean out, then slits the other solider's throat as the vampire charges at him._

 _He leaves their corpses behind, leaps up the two flights of stairs a couple of steps at a time, and skids to a halt at the corner as he notes that he has run up into a straight corridor. He looks to his left and his right, then bolts left after he finds no signs of any VON soldiers around to challenge him._

 _"Hang on just a little longer, princess. I'm almost there."_


	16. Chapter 16

**=Chapter 16-The Awakening**

 _Takara quickly backs up as Daiki storms towards her, but stops short to drop down and check on Yoko as he goes to pass her. He frowns, then looks to the two VON soldiers standing sentry at the entry to the throne room, waves them to him, and instructs them to remove his queen to their bedchambers. They take great care in gathering up the tiny vampiress between them and carefully leave with her to do as their king commanded._

 _"Now...What to do to you in return in punishment for harming my queen."_

 _Takara takes in Daiki's menacing stare and finds herself strangely deflated from their whole interaction so far as father and daughter._

 _"This really isn't getting us anywhere. Look. I have come a really long way and made a lot of surprising discoveries. Can't you at least cut me some slack at this juncture, Father?"_

 _A menacing grin spreads over his lips._

 _"Oh...I'll cut you all right."_

 _When she sees Daiki's hand land on the hilt of a dagger, she finally reaches her limit in her tiresome journey, and explodes._

 _"Damn it! Listen to me! I started off traveling from Hogo on a mission to meet someone of great importance, but instead of meeting them I was attacked by a misguided Hunter, led astray by his demented Elders, helped a sweet but flaky kitsune recover his hoshi no tama, have had visions never-ending that lead me on a merry chase on the trail of memories, and all to end up finding out that I am the daughter of the VON king and the VOL queen!"_

 _Daiki rips the dagger loose of its sheathe and slowly stalks toward Takara._

 _"Cease your loud babbling, girl, and die with honor. I'll hear no more lies from you!"_

 _She dodges him as he tries to take a swipe at her with the short blade, then grits her teeth in outrage at this man's lost memories due to his own lies._

 _"If there is anyone here who will listen to no more lies here it's me!"_

 _Takara and Daiki suddenly find themselves separated before they can attack each other by a hooded white robed figure with a flaming ball of a blue Hitodama hovering over the figure's left shoulder._

 _"A Ghost Spirit? Here?...Who are you? Why do you hide yourself behind the shadows of a hood?"_

 _A slow smile greets the confused king and has him pulling back on a defensive hiss at the sight of the very deadly fangs in the stranger's mouth._

 _"It's about time the illusion of lies ends, little king."_

 _Before either Takara or Daiki can blink, the stranger's hands flash out from the robed sleeves, and capture the VON king's face in a tight hold. The same white light Takara had seen Daiki use on Yoko in the latest vision appears between the stranger's hands and his stunned face._

 _"Time to wake up, Daiki."_

 _The ten VON soldiers still surrounding the room immediately try to attack the stranger holding their king captive and are met by Takara as she fights them to stay their hands._

 _Outside the throne room, Isamu skids to a stop as two VON soldiers appear with a small woman between them, and instantly knows this to be the VOL queen from their clan colors adorning her body._

 _"Set the VOL queen down, carefully, and step away...Now."_

 _The two VON soldiers look at him in surprise, then between each other before carefully laying the unconscious queen back on the floor and turning to confront Isamu. These two like the guards downstairs in the dungeon carry single lethally slender swords at their sides and they are quick to draw them as Isamu moves to attack them. Suddenly, Satoru appears by Isamu's side with a magical flaming broad sword in his hands, smiles at the amused look on the Hunter's face, and laughs at the two VON soldiers comically shocked expressions. They take one look at each other, drop their swords, and run away screaming like women._

 _"Well, that was most entertaining. Is that thing even real?"_

 _"Nope."_

 _Isamu laughs, sheathes his own sword, watches Satoru's illusion vanish into thin air, and they both move to help up the slowly awakening queen to her unsteady feet._

 _"W-Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you handling me so familiarly?"_

 _Satoru smiles down at the confused VOL queen._

 _"The better question here is...Are you ready to finally wake up, Yoko?"_

 _Her startled gaze locks with the kitsune's._

 _"Wake up?"_

 _Isamu keeps his hands on Yoko's arm as Satoru takes the queen's face into his hands and watches as a soft white light glows between them._

 _"What are you doing to her, Fox?"_

 _Satoru keeps his eyes locked on the queen's as he replies:_

 _"Giving her back what Daiki took from her in order to safeguard their daughter."_

 _Isamu almost loses his hold on the wobbly queen at this news and takes a firmer hold of her as confusion sets in._

 _"Daughter?"_

 _Satoru smirks and grunts in amusement._

 _"Wow. You haven't guessed yet?"_

 _Isamu scowls at Satoru's pompous tone._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _Satoru finally lifts his gaze to Isamu with a frown._

 _"Hm? You've been calling her princess this whole time and you're saying you don't know who it is I am speaking of?"_

 _Isamu stares blankly at Satoru for a few moments, then shock registers all over his handsome face._

 _"You can't possibly mean...Princess...Are you saying Takara is their daughter!?"_

 _Satoru nods._

 _"That's right. She is a real princess to both the VON and VOL kingdoms and their rulers are her parents."_

 _Pure rage overtakes Isamu's shock and has him rearing to his feet._

 _"Son of a bitch!"_

 _Satoru frowns in concern as Isamu lets the queen go, forcing him to bare all of her tiny teetering weight, draws his sword, and storms into the throne room._

 _Takara soon has all ten of the VON soldiers scattered all over the throne room floor in various states of injury that is going to take them awhile to recover from and turns to check on the stranger only to encounter the Hitodama._

 _She finds herself wanting to touch it so much that she gives into the compulsion and slips her fingers into the blue flames. She is immediately assailed by images of her as a newborn, an infant, a toddler, a child, a teen, and finally as an adult. Then she sees glimpses of her face as it changes in varies emotional expressions from happy to sad and the resemblances between her own appearance with Hisako's. The final thing it shows her is a smiling Kenta as she saw him through her own eyes from the garden vision._

 _When she is finally able to slip her fingers back out of the cool flames, she is surprised to feel tears running hotly down her cheeks, and a senses of pure joy overwhelming her insides._

 _"Thank you, Kenta."_

 _The Hitodama flickers at her with soft white flares, then returns to the stranger's side just as a pair of strong hands land on her shoulders and pulls her away until she yanks herself free of the painful grasp with a closed in spin into her capture's arms.._

 _"Wh-"_

 _She tenses as she feels the tip of Isamu's sword under her chin, sees his furious face, and finally understands how he must have felt at the mercy of her own blade point._

 _"You're VON and VOL? You're not just a vamp?"_

 _Takara swallows painfully and gives the barest perceptible nod._

 _"Yes...These people are my family."_

 _She strains up onto her tippy-toes up against the nearest wall as the point of the blade rises up through a drop of sweat dangling from her chin to prick her skin and a small stream of blood runs warmly down the sharp edge of the sword._

 _"I am a Hunter! I kill your kind! I don't make friends with them or protect them like a damned Protector! An-"_

 _"Well...I'm sorry! It wasn't my idea to be born this way, you blood thirsty jerk!"_

 _The sword moves no farther as he leans in close until their faces are millimeters apart and slowly smiles a sad grin that only curves halfway up his face._

 _"I wasn't finished ranting yet, princess...I also wasn't born to love a vamp."_

 _Takara is so shocked by this sudden declaration she barely registers the sound of his sword hitting the stone floor as he drops it in exchange for capturing her face in his hands and violently stealing her breath away with his hot kiss._

 _When he suddenly breaks the kiss, she whimpers, he tilts her head back, and slowly licks the small nick he gave her with her own saliva mixed with his own to heal the wound. The sensation of his warm, wet tongue on her skin, sends a heavy shudder throughout her body, and she swallows the moan that tries to fight its way up her constricted throat. She sighs as he reclaims her mouth in a gentler kiss, then the tension slowly leaves her body until her feet have flattened back out upon the floor to bare her relieved weight._

 _He follows her down in order to keep contact and her hands carefully inch their way up his chest to interlace behind his strong neck. She, like Hisako before her, enjoys the blood laced kiss and jolts when Isamu does a replica of Kenta's exchange by slicing his tongue on her fang. However, this exchange held no erotic fantasies, but visions of the sweetest future they could have together. He sends her visions of her carrying and holding his children. She sends him visions of them together forever if he were to accept the vampiric change into his body. He opens his eyes in surprise and pulls away when he feels her hot tears running over the backs of his hands._

 _"What's wrong, princess?"_

 _"Nothing. Those are just the most beautiful visions I've seen so far."_

 _He moves back to her, hugs her close, and lowers his head so his lips hover over her ear._

 _"Let me give you back what was stolen from you at your birth."_

 _Takara gasps at his wish._

 _"But..."_

 _Isamu pulls back to look into her eyes._

 _"But?"_

 _Takara takes a deep breath and explains:_

 _"I'm a vampire, Isamu. I can't watch you leave like Hisako had to watch Kenta."_

 _Isamu stares at her in surprise._

 _"How do you know this?"_

 _"The Blood Visions. They were hers' and Kenta's memories. I can't imagine living on alone like she has."_

 _Isamu tightens his hold on her._

 _"Then I will willingly make the change just for you, because I love you, princess. I just hope you won't get sick of me after a few centuries."_

 _She laughs, gives him a watery smile, cups his face in her own hands, and gives him a quick but light kiss._

 _"Hunter. I could never get sick of you, because I love you, too."_

 _Isamu grins._

 _"Glad to hear it, princess, because I do intend to love you forever."_

 _"Well, just so we are clear, lets not have anymore of these trying to slaughter the vamp sessions again, okay?"_

 _Isamu rubs the edge of his nose against hers with a soft chuckle._

 _"Hm...I don't know. I might-OW!"_

 _She grins at him as he rubs his injured cheeks where she nicked him with her nails._

 _"That's for my chin."_

 _Isamu looks scolded and bows his head in contrition._

 _"Yeah...Um..Sorry about that."_

 _"Accepted."_

 _"Oh, good. You two worked out your troubles on your own."_

 _Takara and Isamu both turn to see the stranger standing near them and Daiki standing a good ways behind her looking very woozy._

 _"Is he going to be okay?"_

 _"Of course. I am an Ancient after."_

 _The stranger finally throws back her hood to reveal a very familiar vestige._

 _"Hisako!"_


	17. Chapter 17

**=Chapter 17-A Legend Returns**

 _Isamu does a double take between the two women, eliciting a smile from Takara, and an amused chuckle from Hisako._

 _"It's one thing to see the resemblance in a portrait, but something totally different in person. If I didn't know you, Takara, with your violet eyes, I could have easily have mistaken the blue eyed Hisako for you."_

 _Takara shoots him a gracious smile for his compliment and Hisako nods her head in acknowledgement._

 _"It's a rather fortunate trait, if you ask me, after all, they are your father's eyes, little one."_

 _Takara grins at Hisako, then looks to Daiki._

 _"Oh, yeah. Is he awake now?"_

 _Daiki steps out from behind Hisako with a self-depracating grimace on his face and Hisako looks sideways at him with a motherly look._

 _"Yes, little one, he is awake and so are you."_

 _Takara beams at Hisako, then throws herself into the Ancient's startled embrace, and gives her a fierce squeeze._

 _"Thank you, Grandmother."_

 _A slow sappy smile spreads across Hisako's lips before she checks herself and gently pats Takara on the back._

 _"You're welcome, dear one."_

 _When Takara pulls away to look at her, she is rendered still at the sight of her tears, and the Ancient experiences a mild burning in her own eyes._

 _"Oh, no. We've entered sappyville. Quick, Isamu, lets get out of here, man."_

 _Isamu sends Satoru an amused smile and shakes his head as the fox comes to stand by him with Yoko right next to him._

 _"No way, Fox. I'm apart of it now."_

 _"Aw, man! Left alone again! Oh, well."_

_Daiki finally comes to his senses enough to spot Yoko standing by Satoru in a mild daze and he immediately goes to her to pull her into his embrace._

 _"Aw, Yoko. I am so sorry."_

 _Yoko slowly hugs him back as tears fill her eyes and he hugs her tighter as he hears her soft gasp._

 _"It's all right, my love. It was for a good cause. I forgive you."_

_"I will spend the next several centuries making it all up to you, my queen."_

 _Yoko sniffles, wipes her face against his shoulder, then looks up to see Takara watching them beside Hisako._

 _"Actually, dear. We have someone a lot more important to be making up to with the lost time."_

 _Daiki looks down at Yoko, then follows her teary gaze to the young woman standing behind him with the Ancient._

 _"My word! They could be twins!"_

 _"Kenta. Remind me why I gave you a child again."_

 _The Hitodama sparks at Hisako, who laughes at his response before cluing everyone in on the silent exchange._

 _"That's right, because I wanted a piece of you left behind, but it appears to be more of me being left behind than you, my Hunter."_

 _Isamu shakes his head in confusion , then looks at the Hitodama floating over Hisako's shoulder with wonder filled eyes._

 _"Kenta is a Ghost Spirit?"_

 _"Yes, Isamu. He has been with me sense birth just like this."_

 _He looks at Takara with her identically wonder filled eyes and smiles._

 _"Wow."_

 _"Welcome to the family, my protector."_

 _Daiki looks between his daughter and the hunter with a mild scowl._

 _"I'm not entirely sure I can approve of a Hunter being my daughter's protector."_

 _Fresh tears spring to Takara's eyes as she sees both of her parents together before her and spots Yoko holding out her hand to her, while the queen's own tears rain over her cheeks in streams. At Daiki's encouraging nod, Takara immediately takes Yoko's hand, and pulls the tiny vampiress into her embrace. Daiki watches them for a moment, while they weep in each other's embraces, then joins them by wrapping his arms around the both of them._

 _"UG! I'm out of here!"_

 _Satoru's words followed by his sudden disappearance brings amused smiles to all their faces._

 _"That boy never was for the mooshy stuff."_

 _Daiki looks up at HIsako as she stares off where Satoru disappeared._

 _"So what will you do now, Hisako? Now that you have helped reunite my family?"_

 _Hisako turns her gaze to Daiki and Yoko with a little smile._

 _"A very good question and completly dependent on you two."_

 _Daiki and Yoko look at each other, glance at their confused daughter, then nod in silent understanding to each other._

 _"Ask and your will be done, Queen Mother."_

 _HIsako nods and her features take on a more serious visage._

 _"Are you both willing to abolish the VON clan, give over rightful rulership of the VOL kingdom Hikaru to Takara, and join me on my trip back to Kodai, along with the rest of the VON vampires?"_

 _Even knowing the reasons the VOL queen still has a look of distress flash across her face._

 _"But, we just got our daughter back, why would you ask us to leave so soon after our reunion?"_

 _Hisako a momentary sadness fills Hisako's eyes, but is quickly replaced with a stern look._

 _"Because it is her turn to rule and, besides, you will have her again when it's her own heirs turn to rule, Yoko."_

 _Daiki sighs and clears his throat:_

 _"Why do you wish to remove all VON from this land?"_

 _A fierce frown eclipses Hisako's lips._

 _"To correct the wrong I made centuries ago when I created the first VON. I originally came here from Kodai to learn from those who live here on the mainland years ago, but instead I only created fear and seperated the once peaceful inhabitants with their wars against me."_

 _Isamu nods in agreement, then steps forward to ask his own question:_

 _"What about the VOL?"_

 _Hisako looks at Isamu with a surprised look and sees him give her a small smile in acknowledgement._

 _"They are the one good thing that I created and I will not see it destroied, young Hunter."_

 _Daiki looks down at Takara's saddened features and smiles weakly at her._

 _"I see, so it is to be a second farewell for the three of us until we meet again, my dear daughter."_

 _Takara returns Daiki's weak smile and he squeezes her shoulders in understanding._

 _"Yes, Father, but this time I know who you are and where to find you should I want to see you again."_

 _Isamu places a gentle hand upon Takara's shoulder._

 _"Are you certain you hold no grudge against them for leaving you to be raised by someone else?"_

 _Hisako chuckles and cathces Isamu's solemn gaze._

 _"Isamu. We are are vampires, if we held a grudge for every slight given us, we would spend centuries in a constant state of temper. No. We live and let be or kill what we can't tolerate. It's that simple."_

 _Isamu stares at Hisako at her bluntly put statement and looks at Takara's sheepish looking parents._

 _"Well, that explains her parents behavior when we arrived here then."_

 _"Precisely."_

 _The couple has the grace to blush under Hisako's stern glare before she finally smiles at them in acceptance._

 _"I will give you a few days to work on gathering and religating all stately issues, as well as, your final goodbyes before we leave."_

 _Yoko turns to Hisako and bows her head to her._

 _"Thank you, Great Ancestor."_

 _Hisako surprises Yoko, as well as herself, when she steps forward and hugs the tiny queen._

 _"Of course. I understand what you are feeling right now, dear one. After all, I was a mother once too."_

 _Yoko hugs her back and whispers her gratitude, then Hisako detaches herself and walks away with the Hitodama, known as Kenta, right behind her._

 _Takara spends as much time with Daiki and Yoko as she can as they work to break down the VON kingdom together. Yoko at one point disappears, then returns a couple days later with a brillant smile._

 _"My people are most pleased to accept our beautiful daughter as their new ruler. She apparently made quite the impression on the Minister while she was there."_

 _Takara blushes, causing her mother to smile some more and her father to chuckle before sweeping her up into a firm hug._

 _"I'm not surprised. She has your sweet nature, my queen."_

 _"You say that now. Now that I have my memories back, including the memories of the horror that I was before. As I recall, you weren't all that peaceable yourself then either, dear."_

 _Daiki frowns, sets Takara down to go to Yoko, and grabs her hand to bring it up to his lips to kiss the back of it._

 _"No. We both became the monsters we were trying to escape."_

 _Takara moves to them and grasps both their shoulders._

 _"That's all right. You both are back to your old selves now, so there is no need to beat yourselves up about it."_

 _Her parents give her broad proud smiles as they exchange knowing looks at each other at their daughter's freely given forgiveness._

 _"If that's how you spoke to the Minister, it is no wonder that he is so excited to have you take over the kingdom."_

 _"Just how excited was he, my queen?"_

 _"The man practically radiated the sun in his pleasure and actually grabbed my hands to plant 'thank you' kisses all over the backs of them."_

 _"What!? He kissed my tiny, wonderful, queen's dainty hands? I must retailiate!"_

 _They are all laughing as Daiki rains kisses all over Yoko's hands to wipe away the Minister's touch, when Isamu appears at Takara's side with a deep frown on his face, and she immediately turns to him in concern._

 _"What's wrong?"_

 _"Nothing...Um...I need to speak to you a moment."_

 _"Oh, okay. Just a second."_

 _Isamu watches as Takara steps closer to her parents, momentarily stopping her father's silly antics, explains where it she is going, then rejoins him after they smile their understanding. He leads her away from her beaming parents as they return to managing the release and rehabilatation of the human slaves. He takes her to the edge of the Oni Mori, then stops without turning around before telling her what is on his mind._

 _"I have to return to Hanta. Before you say anything. I have to let them know that they have no reason to fight the vampires any longer sense they are all leaving the mainland, except for the VOL, who are too peaceable to be a threat to them anyway, then I have to try to reunite them with their Protector cousins."_

 _"I understand."_

 _He spins around in surprise at her calm response to his words and sees her soft smile that speaks volumes to him._

 _"Thank you."_

 _He steps closer to her and catches her up in a farewell kiss to end all goodbye kisses. She moans into it, then clings to him like gravity is trying to steal him away from her and hot tears squeeze from her closed eyes against her wishes. He wipes them away as his hands pass over her face and into her hair to angle her head to his liking before deepening the kiss until they are both ready for something more, then dials them both back down to calm them both for that inevitable seperation._

 _"You will return to my side, Hunter."_

 _Isamu grins at the princess' command._

 _"I'll have to. You still have to make me your's forever, Vampire Princess."_

 _Surprise then warmth fills Takara's eyes at this statement._

 _"Are you still sure you really want the change?"_

 _Isamu scowls and pulls Takara in tightly against him._

 _"What is it with women and their insecurities? I love you and want to keep you all to myself...Well...Just until our children come into this world, then I'll have to share you, and I do expect children. Lots of them."_

 _A fine pink blush colors her cheeks and tugs a winsome smile across her lips._

 _"How many are you expecting, Hunter?"_

 _A mischeiveous look comes over the hunter's handsome features._

 _"Maybe after half a dozen of them I'll be able to tell you how many is enough."_

 _Takara gives a light slap to the back of his head and he chuckles._

 _"Ha, ha, ha. You're funny, but I'm not a brood mare. I'm not going to-"_

 _He catches her off guard with another kiss, then laughes at her scrunched up face of disapproval after he releases her._

 _"Okay, okay. I want one each. A boy and a girl."_

 _More warmth fills Takara's dark violet eyes._

 _"What if we have two of the same sex?"_

 _Isamu grins and presses his forehead to hers._

 _"Then we'll keep trying until we get the other."_

 _Takara chuckles and hugs him tightly to her._

 _"Deal."_

 _Isamu pulls back at the response to look at her with amused eyes._

 _"Oh, were we making a contract on this?"_

 _Takara nods._

 _"Most definitely. I have you down for a forever love, sharing me with our children, there must be at least one boy and one girl, and should there be two of the same sex, we're to keep trying until we have achieved having one of the opposite sex. Is that about right, Hunter?"_

 _A huge smile splits his lips and a laugh escapes him._

 _"Perfectly."_

 _Takara smiles at the sound of his amusement and cups his face to pull him back down to her._

 _"Then, shall we seal this contract?"_

 _He chuckles as she carefully nicks his neck with her nail, kisses him, and gently presses her lips to the nick to steal his heavy cinnamon flavored blood. They both make a sound of pleasure at the act, then she seals the wound, nicks her own neck, and asks him with her eyes to take what she is offering. He holds her gaze as he bows his head toward her throat until he can't, then she feels his hot breath against her skin just before his equally hot mouth closes over her wound and gasps as a shot of sheer pleasure rocks through her as he partakes of her blood._

 _He catches her up in a tight embrace as her knees give out beneath her and instantly moves to exchange a blood laced kiss with her. He traces his tongue beneath her own to steal her saliva, moves back to her wound, seals it, and returns to her mouth again to devour her with a soul searing kiss._

 _When they finally break apart, they both find themselves very unwilling to part ways, but eventually they do, saying goodbye with their eyes, and drag themselves away from each other without a single backwards glance._

 _Takara is almost back to her parents when she feels a bone deep need to turn back and bring Isamu back to her side, but Hisako appears to catch her in a warm embrace._

 _"Will it always feel like this?"_

 _A sad look passes over Hisako's beautiful features._

 _"Forever."_

 _Takara pulls back to look up at the Queen Mother._

 _"You live like this everyday, don't you, Hisako?"_

 _A soft smile tips the corners of Hisako's lips._

 _"Not always. Not with his spirit watching over me, but yes. I miss his touch, his voice, his smell, everything, but I have to be content with what little I have of him as a Hitodama."_

 _Takara nods._

 _"I understand."_

 _Hisako pats Takara's back and turns her back to her parents._

 _"That's a girl. Now, lets see how far your parents have progressed, shall we?"_

 _A deep sigh leaves Takara before she nods again and lets Hisako lead her back to her duties. Her parents exchange the Ancient's embrace on Takara for their own as they look over the final break down of the VON kingdom before they have to leave for Kodai._


	18. Chapter 18

**=Chapter 18-Closed Ties**

 _Isamu watches the Elder Hunters' faces closely as they absorb the story he has just told them from his long journey._

 _"You failed in your mission to kill the Protector, brought her here to our village to discover that she in fact a full fledged vampire, follow her on her mission like we told you, but got detoured by a kitsune and a blood vision, go to Hikaru so she could speak with the VOL, she has more blood visions, and you all end up at Yoru to discover amongst the VON that the girl is actually a princess of both vampire kingdoms? Now you tell us that the VON are leaving with the Queen Mother, Hisako, to Kodai, that the princess is going to be taking over rulership of the VOL, and that you're in love with the vampire girl?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _The Elders absorb this response with stern frowns._

 _"Is there anything else you wish to say before we make our final decision on whether to kill you for treason or banish you to the Protector village?"_

 _Isamu bows his head and smirks a little._

 _"Yes. You were all only told all of this to make you aware of my intentions."_

 _Suspicion clouds the Elders faces._

 _"And your intentions are?"_

 _Isamu raises his head and stares the Elders straight in the eyes._

 _"One, I intend to return to Takara's side, wed her, making her my wife, and allow her to give me the Turn. Two, I intend for the Hunters and the Protectors to reunite as they once were again as a single clan. Third, I intend to do all of this after I kill all of you for slaying Takara's adoptive mother, Protector Chie, and the Elder Protectors without any just cause."_

 _The shing of his blade leaving the scabbard is their only warning that he is completely serious about killing them and they make a mad scramble for their own weapons just as he takes the first of their five heads._

 _The second to get his head taken tries to catch Isamu from behind with his own katana, but Isamu catches him by whipping his arm around him to get the Elder first._

 _The third is taken as he throws a shuriken toward Isamu's heart, but Isamu leans to the side out of range of the flying weapon and leaps over to the Elder to finish him off._

 _The fourth and last meets his end when he tries to take out Isamu's legs with his broad sword, but Isamu jumps, lands on the flat of the blade, pining it to the floor, and takes the Elder's head._

 _All of this is done so fast that Isamu finds himself momentarily surprised by the Elders' easy defeat._

 _"All of you should have fought real vampires. Maybe then you would have learned that speed isn't the key to their defeat, but using their own speed against them with intelligent tactics is their true downfall. Hope you all enjoy your eternal rest in hell, you old bastards."_

 _He exits the mainhouse after that, leaving the bloody carnage of the Elder Hunters behind him, and goes to explain his reasoning for their slaughter to the rest of the villagers._

 _He spends several hours having to calm them down afterwards, then has retells his story of his journey to them, and finally tells them that they have a choice to either rejoin their Protector cousins as one clan or continue on with their grudge against the vampires on their own._

 _He isn't surprised when the bulk of the Hunters choose to rejoin the Protectors and escorts them to Hogo through the Oni Mori._

 _After he has reunited the two clansmen, he returns to the Oni Mori to begin his journey back to Takara's side, and finds himself cut off by Satoru's sudden appearance._

 _"Hey there, Hunter. Where are you heading?"_

 _Isamu grins at the fox._

 _"It isn't Hunter anymore, Satoru. It's just Isamu now."_

 _Satoru smiles back._

 _"WOW! No Fox today?"_

 _Isamu smiles and shakes his head._

 _"No. I just want to get back to Takara as quickly as I can."_

 _"Oh, well, then you'll be wanting to know that she is at Hikaru."_

 _"Of course."_

 _Isamu looks Satoru over and bows his head when the kitsune merely smirks at him._

 _"Thank you, my friend."_

 _"No problem, friend."_

 _Takara stands on the very same balcony as the garden vision she had of Hisako and Kenta, staring moodily into the fountain waters, and sighes as she gently brushes the long skirt of the white long-sleeved dress back as a strong wind tries to whip it up to show off her bare legs. She can see the luminous gleam of her waves of golden blonde hair where the sun caresses the tresses as the wind throws the strands off of her shoulders. She can also see the sadness in her violet eyes reflected back at her in the rippling waters._

 _Then she sees a figure blurrly refracted in the falling waters running down from the upper basins of the fountain and spins around in surprise._

 _"Now...That's how a real princess should look...Or is it queen?"_

 _The loveliest smile lights up her entire face at the sight of the grinning Isamu in Kenta's white camouflage bodysuit and she takes in his casually leaning back against a marble pillar at the entrance to the balcony with his hands over each other upon the hilt of his sword with quickly roaming eyes._

 _"Well...Are you going to come over here and join me, princess?"_

 _The smiles slips down to a small smirk as she takes up a regal stance._

 _"You were right...It's queen now...And I say you have to come to me, Hunter."_

 _An eyebrow shoots up at her emperess tone._

 _"Is that so? Is that a royal command, your majesty?"_

 _Takara nibs her bottom lip before responding:_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Very well then. A subject should never displease his queen."_

 _She can feel herself quivering all over as he gracefully pulls himself off of the pillar and slowly walks over to stand by her side. He looks down into the fountain, then back at her with a soft grin on his lips._

 _"So, what were you searching for in there, my queen?"_

 _"The other half of my soul...Oh...Look...There he is!"_

 _He chuckles as she suddenly points at his reflection in the waters and smiles as her eyes sparkle back at him in amusement._

 _"I'm still waiting for you to come over here to me, Hunter."_

 _Isamu's features take on a semi-serious expression._

 _"When you say my name, Queen Takara. I'll happily come closer."_

 _"All right. Come here...Isamu."_

 _Her smile slips a little when he steps so close to her that she has to tilt her head back to look up at him to see his solemn features._

 _"I need another command, my queen."_

 _"I want you to wrap your arms around my waist."_

 _She swallows nervously as he carefully wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in tightly to him._

 _"I need another command, my queen."_

 _She remains quiet as she runs her hands up his leather clad chest, up into his hair, and gently tugs on the thick strands._

 _"You have to command me, my queen."_

 _"Kiss me."_

 _"Use my name or I'll just assume you're commanding the wind to kiss you."_

 _He chuckles when a low rumbling growl comes out of her in response and lowers his head until his lips are barely touching hers'._

 _"My name, my queen."_

 _"Mm...Isamu! Kiss me, please!"_

 _"As you command, my queen."_

 _She sucks in an estatic breath as he immediately locks his lips to her own and she quickly deepens it so she can finally reclaim the taste of him upon her tongue. She makes a startled sound as he suddenly lifts her off of her feet and she tightens her hold around his neck out of instinct. Then feels herself being carried until something solid presses against her back, when she feels his warm hand upon her bare thigh, her eyes fly open to see the skirt of her dress pooled over his wrist, and she breaks the kiss with a fierce blush burning her cheeks from the contact._

 _"W-What are you d-doing?"_

 _A sensual smile spreads over his lips as he responds:_

 _"Making myself at home with the woman I love. I had to know if your skin is as soft here as it is on your beautiful, very red face, princess."_

 _Takara smirks at his playful tone._

 _"You really like calling me that, don't you, tough guy?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _She decides to match him in their play._

 _"And were you planning on doing something more under that skirt?"_

 _"Not yet. Not until I have you weddedly bond to me forever."_

 _"Do you intend on continuing after that?"_

 _"Most definitely, but for now this..."_

 _She reddens even more as his hand glides a little higher up her thigh to the edge of her white laced panties and stops with the tips of his fingers tucked under the seamline._

 _"...Will just have to be enough."_

 _"Oh, dear...Should I come back later, your majesty?"_

 _Takara squeals, shoves Isamu away, straightens the skirt of her dress, and turns a flaming face of embarassment toward the blushingly amused Minister._

 _"No! What is it that you require, dear Minister?"_

 _The Minister lowers his eyes and bows to her._

 _"I was informed that Isamu had arrived and had only wished to extend the hand of welcome to him, but I see you have already done so, your majesty."_

 _Takara buries her face in her hands and moans in mortification until she hears Isamu snickering behind her. She whips around in astonishment to see him holding a hand over his nose and mouth to stifle his laughter, and loses her embarassment under a wave of outrage._

 _"This isn't the least bit funny, Isamu!"_

 _Isamu drops his hand and lets a full laugh loose upon her._

 _"Actually, my sweet Takara, it is very amusing."_

 _Takara scowls and stomps her foot, which gives her an idea._

 _"Oh, yeah!? Take this, snickers!"_

 _He yelps as she drives the spiked heel of her white pumps into the arch of his left foot, then they both burst into an all out fist fight right before the astounded gaze of the Minister._

 _"My word. I don't ever recall Hisako and Kenta doing that."_

 _He is further befuddled as their fight ends with a fall inside of the fountain and he sees them come up with their lips locked in a passionate kiss under the falling waters of the basin over their heads._

 _The Minister blushes some more at the sight, then turns away with a smile and leaves them to their private display of affection that resembles one he once witness between Hisako and Kenta so very long ago._

 **=The End...**


End file.
